Description
Book SynopsisMichael Billig's rhetorical approach has been key to the discursive turn in the social sciences. His witty and original book examines argumentation and its psychological importance in human conduct, and traces the connections between ancient rhetorical ideas and modern social psychology. In a new introduction, he offers further reflections on rhetoric and social psychology, discusses the recent scholarship, and allows some forgotten voices in the history of rhetoric to be heard.
Trade Review'A breakthrough book in three different fields: sociology, psychology, and the rhetoric of inquiry … Arguing and Thinking brings together the two fragments of our broken culture. It's science and humanism combined, as of course they should be.' Deirdre McCloskey, University of Iowa
'Arguing and thinking should be … one of the most significant social psychological works of the decade. With its distinctive, argumentative model of human nature and rich collation of understudied sources, this work will become one of the classics of my own library.' Gary Alan Fine, Contemporary Sociology
'Arguing and thinking stands as a sparkling contribution to the conversation between the humanities and the social sciences … [It] deserves to be much more widely known and used in our classrooms as well as in our scholarship.' Liz Jenkins, Philosophy and Rhetoric
'Arguing and thinking is a book of rare significance … there are many worthy tomes which everyone quotes but no one reads. This is not one of them. It is a seminal work that should be read, and read by all.' Stephen Reicher, British Journal of Social Psychology
Table of ContentsSecond thoughts, second arguments: a new introduction; 1. Antiquarian psychology; 2. Rules, roles and arguments; 3. Protagoras and the origins of rhetoric; 4. The science of persuasion; 5. The art of witchcraft; 6. Categorization and particularization; 7. Advocacy and attitudes; 8. Dilemmas of common sense; 9. The spirit of contradiction.
