THINKER'S ALMANAC - January 8

What is the difference between a straw man argument and a steel man argument, and how does this relate to more effective argumentation?

Subject:  Rogerian Argument - Steel Man

Event:  Birthday of Carl Rogers, 1902

Today is the birthday of American psychologist Carl R. Rogers (1902-1987), who was born in Oak Park, Illinois.  

As a psychologist and therapist, Rogers was interested in improving human relationships.  For Rogers, the major factor in healthy relationships was clear communication, which is often hindered by the tendency of people to judge each other. Roger’s mission was to help people set aside their evaluations of one another and to instead truly listen to each other.  For Rogers, truly listening was more than just trying to understand another person’s point of view; instead, it involved climbing into that person’s skin and trying to not only see the world from that person’s perspective but also to achieve an understanding of what it feels like to hold that person’s point of view.

Roger’s work in psychology and communication spilled over into the field of rhetoric and argument in 1970 with the publication of the book Rhetoric:  Discovery and Change by Richard Young, Alton Becker, and Kenneth Pike.  This book introduced the Rogerian model for argument.  

Unlike the long tradition of adversarial argument dating back to Aristotle, Rogerian argumentation is about finding the truth and about finding common ground.  Instead of combative debate, the goal of a Rogerian argument is to acknowledge the validity of the opposing side’s position, set aside emotional appeals and work to reach agreement (1).

                                                            Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay 

While there is no specific structure that must be followed in a Rogerian argument, the following basic moves should be included:

-State the issue or problem using neutral, nonjudgmental language, including the impact of the issue on both sides.

-Describe the opposing side of the argument as objectively and fairly as possible, acknowledging the validity of its support and evidence.

-Present your argument, support, and evidence in dispassionate language, striving for a fair and balanced tone.

-Find common ground between the opposing sides, considering alternative solutions and achieving a beneficial compromise (2).

The Rogerian perspective is reminiscent of the lesson that Atticus Finch tried to teach his daughter in the classic book To Kill a Mockingbird.  When Scout comes home from her first day of school in tears because of an argument she’s had with her teacher, Atticus tries to get her to see the situation through her teacher’s eyes:

 . . . if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view–until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. 

Rogerian argumentation might just be an antidote to the political gulf that divides so much of our culture.  So often our first instinct is to create a straw man of our opponent’s argument by exaggerating or distorting its claims, its assumptions, or its premises.  We love to create a narrative that helps us frame the argument in the way we see it.  For example, say you're in a debate about gun control, and your opponent believes that there should be some new laws to prevent accidental gun deaths. It might be tempting to build a straw man by saying, “You won’t be happy until the government breaks down every citizen’s door and confiscates all their guns!”  

Instead of distorting our opponent’s argument with a false narrative, the Rogerian argument challenges us to create a narrative that accurately reflects the way our opponent sees the issue.  Instead of a straw man, we should try to create a steel man: the best form of our opponent’s argument.  Before debating an issue we should be able to state our steel man clearly enough that our opponent agrees that it is accurate.

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  How does the steel man differ from the straw man and which of these approaches would Carl Rogers prefer?

Challenge - I See Your Point:  What is a current issue or contemporary problem that you could present in a Rogerian argument?  How would you in a fair and balanced way summarize the side of the argument that is opposite to yours?  Select an issue that you feel strongly about. Instead of writing your side of the argument, attempt to summarize the opposing side of the argument as fairly and objectively as you can.  As you write, maintain a tone that is fair and balanced.  Strive to truly capture the arguments that run counter to yours. 

ALSO ON THIS DAY: 

-January 8, 1492: On this day Christopher Columbus, while sailing near the coast of what is now the Dominican Republic, observed some odd looking ocean creatures and falsely concluded that they were mermaids.  In reality the creatures were manatees.

-January 8, 1942:  On this day theoretical physicist and author Stephen Hawking was born.  He said, “Science is not only a discipline of reason but also one of romance and passion.”

-January 8, 1964, at 2:00 AM:  Randy Gardner broke the world record for going without sleep.  He had been up for 11 days, a total of 264 hours.

Sources:

1- Brent, Douglas.  Rogerian Rhetoric.  An Alternative to Traditional Rhetoric. http://people.ucalgary.ca/~dabrent/art/rogchap.html

2-Moxley, Joe.  Rogerian Argument. Writing Commons. 17 Dec. 2010.

https://writingcommons.org/article/rogerian-argument/

THINKER'S ALMANAC - January 7

In 1992, 350 years after it condemned Galileo, what statement was issued by the Catholic Church?

Subject:  Conventional Wisdom - the Discovery of Jupiter’s Moons

Event:  Galileo Galilei Discovers the Moons of Jupiter, 1610

In 1610, the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) made a discovery that changed not just the world but also the heavens.  Although Galileo did not invent the telescope, he did make significant improvements that increased its 

magnification.  He was also among the first to turn the telescope to the night sky and record observations of the stars.  This is exactly what he was doing on the night of January 7, 1610, when he observed what he first thought were three fixed stars near Jupiter.  Further examination revealed that instead of stars, he was seeing natural satellites orbiting Jupiter.  Later he discovered a fourth satellite.  Today we know these satellites as Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, and Io:  the Galilean Moons of Jupiter. 

                                                                Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

Galileo’s discovery was much more significant than just discovering the moons of a distant planet.  What he saw in his telescope called into question the conventional wisdom of the geocentric theory, which said that all celestial bodies rotated around the Earth, the center of the universe. Geocentrism dated back to ancient astronomy and the Old Testament.  As a Catholic, Galileo realized that his discovery was at odds with the teachings of the powerful Roman Catholic Church.  

Years earlier, in 1514, the Polish monk and mathematician Copernicus had theorized the heliocentric model, which put the Sun not the Earth at the center of the solar system.  Copernicus did not have a telescope, however, so his theory lacked the kind of solid proof that would challenge the orthodoxy of the geocentric model.   Galileo’s discoveries provided concrete proof that confirmed Copernicus’ theory.

In 1616, the Catholic Inquisition rejected heliocentrism and ordered Galileo to abandon his claims, but he refused to remain quiet.  In 1632, he published “Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems,” where he juxtaposed the arguments for the geocentric universe and the heliocentric universe.  After the publication of his book, Galileo was charged with heresy and tried by the Inquisition in Rome.  In June 1633, he was put under house arrest and his publications were banned. On June 22, 1633, Galileo was found guilty of heresy and sentenced to life imprisonment.  Ordered to kneel, he was directed to read a statement recanting his theory.  

Probably the most famous quotation attributed to Galileo is a brief statement that he supposedly made at the end of his trial:  “Eppur si muove”(“And yet it moves).”  This statement -- which is probably more legend than fact -- would be a contradiction of the Catholic Church’s view of the Earth that stands still at the center of the universe.  Even though under house arrest, Galileo continued his 

scientific work until his death in 1642.

Today his views have been vindicated, and not only is he seen as the father of astronomy, but he is also seen as the father of modern science (1).

In 1992, 350 years after the Catholic Church condemned Galileo, Pope John Paul II issued a formal statement admitting that the church was wrong:  the Earth does move (2).

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  How did Galileo’s discovery of Jupiter’s moons upend conventional wisdom?

Challenge - Where the Experts Were Wrong:  Obviously we know from history that the Catholic Church was wrong about the geocentric universe.  Research another example from history of where the experts were wrong.

ALSO ON THIS DAY:

-January 7, 1959:  Today is the birthday of Nicholas G. Carr.  In 2010, Carr published his book The Shallows:  What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains.  In his book, Carr challenges the reader to consider how the internet has changed the way we think and to contemplate both what has been lost and what has been gained:

The Net’s interactivity gives us powerful new tools for finding information, expressing ourselves, and conversing with others. It also turns us into lab rats constantly pressing levers to get tiny pellets of social or intellectual nourishment.

Sources:  

1-Levesque, Paul. “Skywatch:  Galileo’s Discovery of the Moons of Jupiter Disrupted Conventional Wisdom.”  Quad-City Times. 4 Oct. 2020.

2-Cowell, Alan.  “After 350 Years, Vatican Says Galileo Was Right: It Moves.” New York Times 31 Oct. 1992.

THINKER'S ALMANAC - January 6

What does a work of philosophy published in 523 AD have in common with the game show The Wheel of Fortune?

Subject:  Fortune - Wheel of Fortune Gameshow

Event:  Wheel of Fortune debuts, 1975  

On January 6, 1975, one of the most popular game shows in the history of television made its debut:  The Wheel of Fortune.  The show was created by Merv Griffin, who also created the game show Jeopardy as well as its famous theme song, called “Think.” The Wheel of Fortune is basically an adaptation of the game Hangman, where contestants guess letters in an attempt to solve word puzzles.  The show gets its name from the large carnival wheel that contestants spin.  Each spin determines how much money or prizes they can earn for each guess; contestants can also lose all their winnings if the wheel falls on “Bankrupt” or “Lose Turn.” 

                                                                    Image by G Lopez from Pixabay 

Hundreds of years before the invention of television, the image of the wheel of Fortune served as a powerful symbol of the capriciousness of human fate.  Long before Vanna White turned the lighted titles to reveal letters of the alphabet, Fortuna, the Roman Goddess of Fortune, turned her wheel to determine the fate of mortals. Those at the top achieve happiness through acquired wealth and career success.  The wheel, however, spins on its axis, and even kings who were at the top of the wheel one minute can find themselves at the bottom in the next.  There at the bottom is the pain and agony of lost fortune:  failure, poverty, and loss.  As Shakespeare says in Sonnet 29 being at the bottom of Fortune’s wheel is not pleasant:

When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,

I all alone beweep my outcast state,

And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,

In addition to her wheel, Fortuna was frequently depicted with two contrasting objects: in one hand she holds a cornucopia, symbolizing abundance and luxury; in the other hand, she holds a tiller, symbolizing her control over people’s destinies.

There is a long tradition in philosophy that seeks to find an antidote to the fickleness of fate.  The Stoics recognized the need to determine some method of hacking Fortune’s wheel, refusing to surrender individual destiny to capricious fate.  

Probably the best example of this comes from Boethius (475-525 AD), the Roman philosopher who wrote the classic work The Consolation of Philosophy (523 AD). Boethius began his career with success, achieving the position as Consul for the Roman ruler King Theodoric.  Poised at the top of Fortune’s wheel, Boethius fell to the bottom when he was accused of plotting against Theodoric and imprisoned.  In his Consolation, Boethius tells the story of how he was visited in his prison cell by Lady Philosophy.  She advised him to remember and resist the whims of Fortuna.  She challenged Boethius to not base his happiness on what was out of his control -- those things that may be snatched away at any moment by a spin of the fickle wheel. Instead, she instructed Boethius to meditate on what he could control -- that is his powers of reason. Only by controlling his own mind and his own powers of perception could he free himself from the chains of fate.  As Hamlet said, “There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.” 

If the sky is full of dark clouds that block the sun, and the rain is falling, you can choose to let it affect your mood; the more philosophical approach, however, is to accept those things that you have no power to change and to focus instead on what you can change -- your mind and attitude.   The Stoics remind us that we have power over what we think and what we feel.  We are mere mortals, but we have a super power called reason. 

Descartes said, “I think, therefore, I am”; the Stoics said, “I think, therefore, I am immune to the fickle and frigid finger of fate.”

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  What is the Stoic’s antidote for overcoming the fickleness of Fortune’s wheel?

Challenge:  Respond to the following quotation:  ‘Two men look out through the same bars; One sees the mud, and one the stars.” -Frederick Langridge

ALSO ON THIS DAY:

January 6:  Today is the birthday of the literary detective Sherlock Holmes, not because his birth is recorded in any of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories but because one of Doyle’s fans set the date to coincide with Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night.  The logic?  It’s a play that is mentioned twice in the Holmes canon.  As Holmes once said,   “Crime is common. Logic is rare. Therefore it is upon the logic rather than upon the crime that you should dwell” (2).

January 6, 1878:  Today is the birthday of American writer and poem Carl Sandburg.  After serving in the Spanish-American War, he briefly attended the United States Military Academy at West Point; he dropped out after just two weeks after failing a mathematics and grammar exam.  He later enrolled at Lombard College in Illinois.  After completing his education, he worked in advertising and as a journalist.  Sandburg was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his writing on three separate occasions:  1919, 1940, and 1951.

In the following poem entitled “Grass,” notice he employs personification:

Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.   

Shovel them under and let me work—   

            I am the grass; I cover all.   

   

And pile them high at Gettysburg   

And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun. 

Shovel them under and let me work.   

Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:   

            What place is this?   

            Where are we now?   

   

            I am the grass. 

            Let me work.

Source:  

1-Boethius and The Consolation of Philosophy.  The School of Life.

2-https://www.inverse.com/article/39990-sherlock-holmes-birthday-early-life-conan-doyle-canon#:~:text=In%20one%20of%20the%20early,Night%20twice%20in%20the%20canon.&text=That%27s%20it

THINKER'S ALMANAC - January 5

How did a failed Antarctic expedition become a model for successful leadership? 

Subject:  Leadership - The Shackleton Expedition 

Event:  Ernest Shackleton dies, 1922

Success or failure is caused more by mental attitude than by mental capacity. -Walter Scott

In 1914, the polar explorer Ernest Shackleton set off for Antarctica with a crew of 28 men.  Their goal was to be the first to walk across the continent.  The men of the expedition not only failed in reaching their goal, they never even set foot on Antarctica.  And yet the story of the Shackleton Expedition lives on as one of the most successful failures in history.

                                                       Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay 

Shackleton and his crew set off for Antarctica in their ship, the Endurance, in August 1914.  In January 1915, they came into sight of Antarctica's coast, but because their ship became trapped in the ice, they were unable to reach shore.  The only option was to remain immobilized in the ice until the summer thaw.  To combat the fear and disappointment of the unfortunate circumstances, Shackleton kept his men busy, establishing a strict daily schedule that included gathering scientific specimens from the ice, hunting for seals and penguins, and socializing after dinner. 

After spending months on the ice, the crew’s hopes were further frustrated in October 1915 when the ice began to weaken the hull of their ship, causing water to pour in.  Shackleton knew at this point that there was no hope for the Endurance nor was there hope for accomplishing his original mission.  His new mission was to survive.

After recovering what they could from the ship, including three lifeboats, the crew established a camp on the ice. 

In April 1916, the ice broke up enough so that the crew could attempt to reach dry land in their lifeboats.  Finally, after a week at sea, the crew arrived at uninhabited Elephant Island.  Still a long way from civilization and safety, Shackleton put together a plan to reach South Georgia Island, the location of the whaling settlement where the crew had begun its expedition.  Using one of the lifeboats -- the James Caird -- Shackleton and a small crew set out for South Georgia.

After more than two weeks at sea in stormy and icy conditions, the lifeboat finally arrived at South Georgia.  Although they had reached shore, the men landed on the opposite side of the island from the whaling station.  The next desperate step was to trudge on foot over mountainous terrain to reach the whaling station.  Finally, after 36 hours of arduous hiking, Shackleton and his two companions reached civilization.

Next, Shackleton’s task was to rescue the rest of the castaways on Elephant Island.  After failing in two attempts to reach the island through icy seas, he finally succeeded on August 30, 1916. One hundred and twenty-eight days after leaving for South Georgia in the James Caird, the entire crew was reunited without the loss of a single man.

Today the Shackleton Expedition is viewed as a case study in leadership.  No leader is perfect, but Shackleton’s perseverance in the face of repeated setbacks, his ability to adapt, and his unwavering determination and commitment to save his crew serve as a model for modern leaders.

In 1921, Shackleton planned another expedition to Antarctica where this time his plan was to circumnavigate -- rather than trek across -- the continent.  Unfortunately, he never completed the expedition. On January 5, 1922, he had a heart attack while preparing to begin the expedition at South Georgia Island, the same place where he had begun his expedition 1n 1914 (1).

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason: How did Ernest Shackleton transform failure into success?

Challenge - Failure Before Success:  So often we view success as the opposite of failure rather than realizing how failure and the lessons gained from it can create a path for future success.  Research some quotations that deal with the relationship between failure and success.  Pick one that you like, and write an explanation of why you think the quotation conveys necessary wisdom for life.

ALSO ON THIS DAY:

January 5, 1889:  On this day, human flight was declared impossible by the Detroit Free Press: “The smallest possible weight of a flying machine, with the necessary fuel and engineer, could not be less than 300 or 400 pounds . . .  but there is a low limit of weight, certainly not much beyond fifty pounds, beyond which it is impossible for an animal to fly.  Nature has reached this limit, and with her utmost effort has failed to pass it.”  On December 17, 1903, the Wright Brothers achieved the impossible in a flyer weighing 605 pounds (2).

January 5, 1895:  After he was falsely convicted of treason, Captain Alfred Dreyfus was publicly stripped of his rank insignia and his sword was broken in two.  Five thousand French troops watched the ceremony, which would become known as “The Degradation of Dreyfus.”

Sources:  

1- “Leadership Lessons from the Shackleton Expedition” New York Times 25 December 2011.

2. Housel, Mogan.  The Psychology of Money.  Great Britain:  Harriman House, 2020: 184.

THINKER'S ALMANAC - January 4

How did a boy who lost his sight at age three invent something that helped generations of blind people to see?

Subject:  Invention and Adaptation - Braille Alphabet

Event: Birthday of Louis Braille, 1809

Today is the birthday of Louis Braille (1809-1852), a blind man who invented a system that brought literacy to the blind and visually impaired. 

Born in Coupvray, France, in 1809, Braille lost his sight at a young age.  Playing in his father's workshop, he accidentally punctured his eye with a sharp awl.  Tragically, an infection developed in the punctured eye and spread to the other eye, leaving Louis totally blind.  Despite his blindness, Louis attended school in his village, and at age 10, he won a scholarship to the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris.

At the Royal Institute, Braille learned night writing, a system of raised dots and dashes that allowed soldiers to read messages in the dark.  Adapting and simplifying night writing, Braille developed his own system in 1824, when he was only fifteen years old.  Unfortunately, Braille’s genius was not fully recognized during his lifetime (he died of consumption in 1852); however, his alphabet eventually became the standard for schools for the blind internationally (1).

                                                            Image by Daniel Roberts from Pixabay 

Braille’s hunger for knowledge drove him to create a coding system that brought literacy to millions of visually impaired people.  His refusal to live in darkness made him a tenacious seeker of the light of knowledge.  His tragedy became his springboard for triumph.

Braille’s story has a couple of lessons for us about creative thinking.  First, creativity is a great way to reframe a setback or failure.  Instead of looking back with regret, we can look ahead for an opportunity for turning the negative into something positive.  Braille clearly was a learner. His growth mindset allowed no obstacle to stop him from getting an education and contributing something to humanity.  Second, creativity isn’t always about producing something from nothing; instead, it more often than not is about adapting something that exists for a new application.  Braille’s adaptation of night writing took an idea that applied narrowly to a military context and expanded and simplified it to help bring literacy to the blind.  Certainly other people knew about night writing, but ironically, it took a blind man to see how its use might be adapted.  Perhaps no 

man in history better exemplified Einstein’s proclamation:  “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason: How did Braille’s life exemplify the growth mindset?

Challenge - Tragedy as a Springboard for Triumph:  Who is another person who typifies Braille’s growth mindset, another person who turned a life-tragedy into an opportunity or who used failure as a springboard for future success?  Research the life of a person like Braille, and write a summary that presents the highlights of how this person went from tragedy to triumph.

ALSO ON THIS DAY:

-January 4, 1642:  Today is the birthday of Isaac Newton, who was born the same year that Galileo died.  There’s an old story that Newton’s great discovery was inspired one day when he was sitting under an apple tree.  When a single apple fell and hit him on the head, he suddenly had an epiphany about the forces of gravity.  As in most cases, the legend is a bit juicier than the reality.  Although his ideas may have been inspired by observing apples dropping from trees, he did not need to sustain personal injury in order to have his “aha moment.”  It’s hard to think of any single person who had more original ideas in science spanning such a range of subjects:  optics, mechanics, mathematics, physics, and philosophy.  His Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy published on July 5, 1687 is recognized by many as the single most influential book in the history of science.

-January 4, 1785:  Today is the birthday of Jacob Grimm, who was born in Hanau, Germany.  Along with his brother Wilhel, Jacob authored one of the best-known works of German literature, Grimm’s Fairy Tales.  The book of over 200 stories has been published in more than 100 languages and has influenced countless adaptations, most notably those by Walt Disney.  Disney’s adaptation of Snow White became the first full length animated film in 1937.

-January 4, 1956:  On this day a newspaper, The Swedish Daily News, reported an anecdote about magical thinking and the Nobel Prize winning physicist Niel Bohr.  Bohr reportedly had a horseshoe nailed above his door.  A visitor to his office asked him about the horseshoe, saying, “You don’t really believe in that superstitious mumbo jumbo do you, Professor Bohr?”  Bohr responded saying, “Of course not!  But I’m told that it brings good luck whether or not you believe in it” (2).

Sources:  

1-Sloane, Paul.  Think Like an Innovator:  76 Inspiring Business Lessons from the World’s Greatest Thinkers and Innovators.  UK:  FT Press, 2016.

2-Quote Investigator. “I Understand It Brings You Luck, Whether You Believe in It or Not.”  9 Oct. 2013.