"Argute" means "acute," which is the kind of angle thought makes when it connects two things that are different, or even of opposite natures. The mannerists of the 15th and 16th centuries held that wit and genius depended on thought's ability to penetrate, and in this function they compared wit to the "ether" (clear blue sky), the celestial version of animus, or fire, which penetrated inert matter, animating it and giving it the power of thought.

Argute thinking is something quite different from reason, especially Cartesian "rationality." It prefers not to think "in straight lines" and frequently changes the rules of the game. Argute thinking does not, as rationality does, depend upon a single point of view, and in this quality, it is particularly appropriate as an alternative to "projective" or "caption" approaches to theory.

Click here to see an example of argute logic applied in The Wizard of Oz.