Arthur Schopenhauer, one of the greatest philosophers, wrote in the 19th century a sharp, angry, subversive yet wise, vivid, and subtly humorous essay (published posthumously) under the eloquent title "The Art of Always Being Right," which presents itself as a manual for prevailing over any opponent in a debate. "Eristic Dialectic," Schopenhauer himself wrote, thus masking any ironic tone, "is the art of disputing - and disputing in such a way that one defends one's positions adequately, whether right or wrong." And as if to assure his readers that he sincerely meant this, he added: "In a debate, we must ignore objective truth, or rather consider it as a random coincidence, and focus solely on defending our position and refuting the opponent's position." Certainly, Schopenhauer's true intention was to draw his readers' attention to the tricks commonly used by others, whether they be politicians, journalists, advertisers, or merchants. Pretending to teach "sophistry" (as he later called rhetoric), he actually taught how to recognize it and, consequently, how to counter it. This biting little work remains even today a valuable tool for this purpose.