Philosophy & Rhetoric Apr 2025

What It Takes to Want to Turn to Others

Nirvana Tanoukhi Dartmouth College

Abstract

ABSTRACT The retreat from dialogue by citizens of Anglo-European democracies is a topic of interdisciplinary debate. This article argues that the problem cannot be solved so long as it is conceived as a matter of inability to handle the discomfort of disagreement. For knowing how to get through a difficult conversation does not make people want to dialogue, nor does making conversations less difficult. The problem is one of disinclination to turn to others with whom we disagree. The desire to argue with others cannot be incentivized by ease. To want to talk across differences, interlocutors must be reattuned sensually to the good of arguing. The author argues for returning to the literary origins of the public sphere, namely, conversations about literature and art, which, according to political theorists and cultural historians, first made the sociality of disagreements felt.

Journal
Philosophy & Rhetoric
Published
2025-04-01
DOI
10.5325/philrhet.58.1.0025
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
argument public rhetoric
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

References (9)

  1. (1992)
    Lectures on Kant’s Political Philosophy
  2. Carnegie Mellon Foundation. 2024. “UNM Limited Competition Announcement.”https://frdo.unm.edu/sites/default/f…
  3. (2014)
    “Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens.”
    Perspectives on Politics  ↗
  4. (1991)
    The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeo…
  5. (2019)
    Hannah Arendt’s Aesthetic Politics: Freedom and the Beautiful
Show all 9 →
  1. (1790/2000)
    Critique of the Power of Judgment
  2. (2018)
    Truth Decay: An Initial Role of Facts and Analysis in American Public Life
  3. (2016)
    A Democratic Theory of Judgment
  4. (2004)
    “Aesthetic Judgment and the Public Sphere in the Thought of Hannah Arendt.”
    Austrian Journal of Historical Studies
CrossRef global citation count: 0 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Argumentation Feb 2026
    The Influence of Justification Content and Argument Source on Perceived Argument Quality ↗
    Kaisa Herne; Josefina Sipinen; Peter Söderlund; Elina Kestilä-Kekkonen
    argument public rhetoric
  2. Res Rhetorica Jan 2026
    Politicians’ privacy management in social media as a tool for shaping ethos ↗
    Anna M. Kiełbiewska
    rhetorical criticism argument social media public rhetoric
  3. Argumentation Dec 2025
    Questions as Elements of Argumentation in Political Debates ↗
    Daniel Ziembicki
    discourse analysis argument artificial intelligence public rhetoric
  4. Philosophy & Rhetoric Apr 2025
    Aristotle: Art of Rhetoric ↗
    Peter A. O’Connell
    classical rhetoric modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism revision argument multilingual writers grammar and mechanics public rhetoric editorial matter
  5. Philosophy & Rhetoric Apr 2025
    Introduction: On the Desirability of Speaking to Others ↗
    Nirvana Tanoukhi; Nicholas Dunn
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism discourse analysis argument social media race and writing gender and writing disability studies public rhetoric literary studies editorial matter