CHAPTER XXIII

 

INFLUENCING BY ARGUMENT

 

Common sense is the common sense of mankind. It is the product of common

observation and experience. It is modest, plain, and unsophisticated. It sees

with everybody's eyes, and hears with everybody's ears. It has no capricious

distinctions, no perplexities, and no mysteries. It never equivocates, and never

trifles. Its language is always intelligible. It is known by clearness of speech

and singleness of purpose.

 

--GEORGE JACOB HOLYOAKE, _Public Speaking and Debate_.

 

The very name of logic is awesome to most young speakers, but so soon as they

come to realize that its processes, even when most intricate, are merely

technical statements of the truths enforced by common sense, it will lose its

terrors. In fact, logic[25] is a fascinating subject, well worth the public

speaker's study, for it explains the principles that govern the use of argument

and proof.

 

Argumentation is the process of producing conviction by means of reasoning.

Other ways of producing conviction there are, notably suggestion, as we have

just shown, but no means is so high, so worthy of respect, as the adducing of

sound reasons in support of a contention.