Project Wisdom
@ProjWisdom
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Project Wisdom is one of the oldest and most respected character education programs in the nation.
Joined January 2025
Some phrases sound wise but say little. “It is what it is.” “Just saying.” “Agree to disagree.” They end conversations, not deepen them. British philosopher Susan Stebbing warned against this kind of shortcut speech. She called it “potted thinking,” saying: “Potted thinking is
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📢 New Content for All Subscribers (11/11/2025): NEED: First Things First PRIORITIES: One Before Another Login today to access this new material!
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Ever walked into a meeting, only to regret your first sentence? Most of us have. It’s a quick reminder: the way we begin a conversation often shapes how we’re heard. As the saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Whether pitching an idea,
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📢 New Content for All Subscribers (10/06/2025): VOCABULARY: Words And Worlds DICTION: Fit For The Moment Login today to access this new material!
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Quoting experts isn’t the same as making an argument. Leonardo da Vinci once said: “Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using his intelligence; he is just using his memory.” That’s not anti-expert. It’s pro-thinking. Relying on authority can shut
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📢 New Content for All Subscribers (09/29/2025): PREVAILING TRUTH: Power And Choice LITTLE TRUTHS: Small But Critical Login today to access this new material!
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Ever watched an argument turn into a tangle of side points and personal digs? It’s easy to lose the plot. Sherlock Holmes had a better approach. He said: “In solving a problem … the grand thing is to be able to reason backwards.” He meant to start with what’s known, and work
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📢 New Content for All Subscribers (05/23/2025): WALKING AWAY: Progress Over Pride THIS IS RHETORIC: The Art of Speaking Well Login today to access this new material!
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You suggest adding healthier breakroom snacks, and someone snaps, “So you want to ban donuts now?” That’s a classic “straw man”: misrepresenting your point to make it easier to attack. It’s a tactic often used in debates, online spats, and everyday conversations. As Darwin once
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📷 New Content for All Subscribers (05/09/2025): RHETORIC AS CRAFT: Difficult But Inspiring WALKING AWAY: Limits Of Rhetoric Login today to access this new material!
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Before making your next argument, pause. Are you truly listening? Psychiatrist M. Scott Peck once said: “You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.” If you’re planning your rebuttal while the other person speaks, you’re not really listening –
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📷 New Content for All Subscribers (04/30/2025): POTTED THINKING: Canned Responses CHASING RABBITS: Avoiding Distraction Login today to access this new material!
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You share an opinion. Someone responds, not by addressing your point, but by dismissing you. “What do you know?” they scoff. That’s an ad hominem attack – Latin for “against the person.” When people can’t counter your ideas, they often go after you instead. But as Ralph Waldo
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Rhetoric isn’t just for debate teams or politicians – it’s for all of us, every day. Whether you're making a case at work, talking with a friend, or asking for what you need, how you communicate matters. Lee Iacocca once said: “You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get
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📷 New Content for All Subscribers (03/26/2025): STRAW MEN: Misrepresenting Arguments GENERAL TO SPECIFIC: Focus The Argument Login today to access this new material!
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In any disagreement, how we respond matters just as much as what we believe. The French philosopher Michel de Montaigne observed: "He who establishes his argument by noise and command shows that his reason is weak." Raising our voices, interrupting, or mocking doesn’t make our
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