Ep 131: Robin Reames | The lost understanding of rhetoric and the power behind words

This conversation is perhaps the most profound exploration I've ever done on the power of asking questions to understand the meaning behind words.

 

Robin Reames is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Illinois Chicago and the author of the book, "The Ancient Art of Thinking for Yourself: The Power of Rhetoric in Polarized Times."

 

As Robin points out in this conversation, over the past century, we've lost sight of rhetoric's power to provoke us to think more deeply about the areas in which we disagree.

 

Examining the power behind the words we choose to state our beliefs and opinions gives us a chance to communicate better and more clearly with each other. By getting to the roots of how and why we disagree, we can have helpful and constructive problem-solving dialogue.

 

You can learn more about Robin's work at https://engl.uic.edu/profiles/reames-robin/.