Aristotle’s Guide to Self-Persuasion: How Ancient Rhetoric, Taylor Swift, and Your Own Soul Can Help You Change Your Life

Heinrichs (Thank You for Arguing), publisher of the Aristotle’s Guide to Soul Bending newsletter, explains in this edifying primer how readers can turn the power of persuasion inward. According to the author, while persuasion from others can be blocked by “dissonance between your identity and theirs,” self-persuasion works because it allows individuals to push themselves into closer alignment with their own idealized self-identity; once that shift (in action or mindset) is enacted, it can be transformed into habit. Harnessing ideas from Aristotle and other philosophers, the author unpacks why “faking it until you make it” is an effective strategy and outlines more surprising ways rhetoric can influence thought—such as using irony to ease oneself into a positive frame of mind (“Start by speaking ironically about an excruciating task: It was... fun! Then repeat it so often it no longer seems ironic”). Combining cogent philosophical explanations with entertaining examples from popular culture (including how Taylor Swift and Muhammad Ali used the power of persuasion), Heinrichs provides a quirky, sometimes counterintuitive look at how to harness the power of the mind. It’s a spirited and innovative application of an ancient Greek art. (July)