Rationalist Paradigm vs Narrative Paradigm

Aristotle’s disciples discuss his rationalist and narrative paradigms.

Rationalist: Information is best transmitted by a reasoned approach: defining the question, hypothesizing an answer and presenting an argument to support this. Logic. Logos.

Narrativist: People pick up information through stories, too. Set a scene, set a problem and show a solution. Emotional involvement. Pathos.

Voice-over
Perhaps there is not such a great difference here. Both paradigms are three step processes. Both progress logically and sequentially. Both have a beginning, middle and end.
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Reductionist definitionism

Zhi questions Jiang on his character over mah jong.

Zhi:You must read Malcolm Gladwell.
Jiang: Tipping point? I have. I liked it.
Zhi: So which are you: a connector, a maven or a salesman?
Jiang: Meaning?
Zhi: Connector, meaning people who carefully keep up even casual social connections. Maven, meaning someone who has lots of information about products and deals. Or salesmen, who persuade people of something they are doubtful about.
Jiang: I’m an extreme form of none of them. I know a few people, I know something about my job, when needed I can persuade someone to do something.
Zhi: You’re a generalist?
Jiang: I’m a reductive definitionist. I can explain things simply.
__________
Voice-over
Jiang has a talent for summarizing in a few everyday words. The skill might be called reductionist definitionism. He calls himself a reductive definitionist.
But Jiang is not only this. His whole is more than the sum of his parts. He is also a professional mah jong player.

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