Stratagem 27
Original German
Wird bei einem Argument der Gegner unerwartet besonders böse, so muß man dieses Argument eifrig urgiren: nicht bloß weil es gut ist ihn in Zorn zu versetzen, sondern weil zu vermuthen ist, daß man die schwache Seite seines Gedankenganges berührt hat und ihm an dieser Stelle wohl noch mehr anzuhaben ist, als man vor der Hand selber sieht.
Musean translation
Machine-assisted, directly from Deussen’s German edition (1923).
If an argument makes the opponent unexpectedly angry, press it vigorously. Not only is it useful to put him into a rage, but we may presume that we have touched a weak point in his train of thought and that there is probably more to attack there than we ourselves yet see.
Plain English translation
Machine-assisted, independently translated directly from Deussen’s German edition (1923).
If an argument unexpectedly makes the opponent especially angry, keep pressing it. Making them angry is useful in itself. But their anger also suggests that you have touched a weakness in their reasoning. There is probably more to attack at that point than you can yet see.
About this section
Stratagem 27 is part of The Art of Being Right by Arthur Schopenhauer. This page sets the German original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is section 32 of 43 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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