ABSTRACT
Our post-enlightenment era has placed a strong emphasis on logic. Rational choice is, after all, seemingly predicated on logic and logical choices. As a matter of practice, persuasion is often a function of reasoning, argumentation, and thought processes. But do these always conform to what many would believe to be logical or rational? For those who steadfastly believe in the notion that individuals always act fully rationally in theory and practice, such individuals are invited to think of possible exceptions to constant rationality involving personal or professional experience – for this is the province of the Behavioralists.
This chapter focuses on the logical that should occur, and logical lapses that often do occur within the reasoning processes of rational individuals – collectively, the Rationalists – in a persuasion context. The tools in this chapter empower individuals to make sense of nonsensical statements.
