The Art of Being Right

The Perfect Guide to Spotting Bullshit, Avoiding Cheap Tricks and Winning Arguments

By: Arthur Schopenhauer

Narrated by: Chirag Patel

A classic guide to tricks and tactics for winning arguments, with commentary on the use of and defense against each tactic.

The best summary of this audiobook is "being right doesn’t mean you’re gonna win, and this is why". It’s the ultimate guide to spotting the many different kinds of bullshit people pull in order to win over the crowd, rather than argue the point at hand. There’s very few of them that don’t immediately bring examples to mind, and having it laid out clearly like this is the perfect armour to stop people derailing you. In the real world, people don’t win arguments based on what’s correct. They win because they win over the crowd, or change the subject, or bully their rival, or 35 other causes. This guide will walk you through the various strategies that people use, with notes on usage and defence for each point.

Arthur didn’t intend this work as a guide for winning fights. Much like Machiavelli’s The Prince, this is a satire - a guide on what to watch out for in others and yourself, not a toolkit. If you can’t win your argument on fair grounds, you need to reconsider your position; but that doesn’t mean you should let people steal the day by underhanded means. This audiobook will teach you how to spot and spike them before they get a head of steam.

Public Domain (P)2019 Chirag Patel

Useful and interesting

good book to learn argumentation, short and precise. maybe lacks some more examples and the voice can be a bit annoying for moments.

great but just a piece of schoppenhauer

schoppenhauer had a ton of writings and many if not all are on audible. this recording is good but it's just a piece of one work. in fact it's a piece about AFTER you have won an argument and being contemptuous to win over others who dont care about the merits of the argument, but put more stock in cantankerous debate.

Not good

Dry writing and a boring delivery. I couldn’t finish it. I should have listened to the sample before purchasing.

Too abstract and general. Would need examples and illustrations

Too abstract and general. Would need examples and illustrations. Not very clear or useful. Shame the title was promising.

I had a hard time paying attention.

For such an intriguing title, the content was seemingly dull. Could be the narrator; could be the format. Probably a little bit of both.