The Work of Controversy

An updated guide to winning any online argument

Do the work

The 19th-century philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer wrote "The Art of Controversy"¹ — an amusingly cutthroat guide to winning arguments — back when newspapers were in their late adolescence. Now we fight with touchscreen devices in our hands. The weapons changed but the war remains the same. His old techniques for triggering the based, the libs, and the all-purpose numbskulls work better on X than they ever did in parlors and salons.