The Possibility of Rational Persuasion

Michael Lynch

Philosophers from Plato to Wittgenstein have traditionally contrasted reason with persuasion. But what about the idea of rational persuasion— of persuading someone on the basis of a reason? In this paper, I aim to do three things: investigate what rational persuasion could be, discuss an old argument for thinking it is impossible, and explore what makes it so valuable for a democracy.

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