Contrary to Schopenhauer's famous treatise, The Art of Being Always Right, the author asks how to rediscover the conditions for a healthy and constructive dialogue in a context of strong polarization and cultural war.
--Ismaël Houdassine, Le Devoir
An elegant and delightful little essay inspired by the wisdom of Montaigne.
-- Louis Cornellier, Le Devoir
A must-read! A book that is consistent with what it states, it never falls into polarization. It is a tool for intellectual defense. I invite all poets to read this text!
-- Anne-Marie Le Saux, Dimanche ont lit , FM 103.33
This book is a precious distillation of wisdom. Quebec would be better off if as many people as possible read it.
--Paul Journet, La Presse
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Over 9,000 copies sold in Quebec only!
Taking the opposite view of Schopenhauer’s famous treatise, The Art of Being Always Right, Martin Desrosiers demonstrates that a large part of modern philosophy (and its teaching) serves despite itself to train skilled rhetoricians, capable of triumphing over their adversary, in short of winning an oratorical joust, without regard for the search for truth itself, which is nevertheless at the heart of the philosophical adventure. Although we are well-trained in the art of persuading others, and have mastered the logic of argumentation, we are strangely helpless when it comes to allowing ourselves to be persuaded by others. For true dialogue, Desrosiers reminds us, also contains the possibility that we are wrong and the other is right.
To rediscover the lost meaning of dialogue, the author suggests returning to the figure of Montaigne, the patron saint of essayists. He shows that doubt, humility, listening, and silence are virtues that Montaigne places at the center of his research, and that we would do well, both individually and collectively, to cultivate.