Transcript Document

Aristotle’s Three Ways
to Persuade
Who is Aristotle?
Aristotle (384-322 BCE) is
the most notable product of
the educational program
devised by Plato. Aristotle
wrote on an amazing range
of subjects, from logic,
philosophy, and ethics to
physics, biology,
psychology, politics, and
rhetoric.
What is rhetoric?
Rhetoric is the art of persuasion.
The goal of persuasion is to change others’
point of view or to move others to take action.
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According to Aristotle, rhetoric is
"the ability, in each particular case,
to see the available means of
persuasion."
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He described three main forms of
rhetoric: Ethos, Logos, and Pathos.
What is logos, ethos, and
pathos?
Logos = Logic
Ethos = Character (Ethics), Image
Pathos = Emotions (Passion)
Logos, Ethos, Pathos
Using logos, ethos, and pathos will help you to
master the art of persuasion.
• Through language, you will be able to change the
point of view of others!
• Through language, you will be able to motivate
others to take action!
Logos
Logos is an argument based on facts,
evidence, and reason.
Using logos means appealing to the
readers’ sense of what is logical.
Ethos
Ethos is an argument based on character.
Using ethos means the writer or speaker
appeals to the reader’s sense of ethical
behavior. The writer or speaker presents
him or herself to the audience as credible,
trustworthy, honest, and ethical.
“I am an ethical expert, so believe what I say.”
Pathos
Pathos = argument based on feelings
Using pathos means appealing to
readers’ emotions and feelings.
Symbols for Logos,
Ethos, and Pathos
Logos = Head
Ethos = Hand
Pathos = Heart
Ethos, Pathos, Logos
Logos Example
In the following example, note how Ian
Ayres uses evidence from experience (her
work environment, Delta Airlines, the
University of Chicago). This evidence
establishes the precedent that Ayres uses
to compare to the current situation that she
argues should be changed.
Logos Example
We don’t have single-sex toilets at home, and
we don’t need them at the office. Then there’s
also the small question of efficiency. I see my
male colleagues waiting in line to use the men’s
room, when the women’s toilet is unoccupied.
Which is precisely why Delta Airlines doesn’t
label those two bathrooms at the back of the
plane as being solely for men and women. It just
wouldn’t fly.
Logos Example
The University of Chicago just got the 10 singleuse restrooms on campus designated gender
neutral. It’s time Yale followed suit. And this is
not just an academic problem. There are tens of
thousands of single-use toilets at workplaces and
public spaces throughout the nation and that are
wrong-headedly designated for a single-sex. All
these single-use toilets should stop discriminating.
They should be open to all on a first-come, firstlock basis.
—Ian Ayres, “Looking Out for No. 2”
Ethos Example
In the following example, note how Nancy
Mairs establishes her credibility and
trustworthiness and authority to write
about this subject by being honest. Mairs
admits she is uncertain about her own
motives and shows she understands the
discomfort others have with this subject.
Ethos Example
First, the matter of semantics. I am a cripple. I
choose this word to name me. I choose from
among several possibilities, the most common of
which are “handicapped” and “disabled.” I
made the choice a number of years ago, without
thinking, unaware of my motives for doing so.
Even now, I am not sure what those motives are,
but I recognize that they are complex and not
entirely flattering.
Ethos Examples
People—crippled or not—wince at the word
“cripple,” as they do not at “handicapped” or
“disabled.” Perhaps I want them to wince. I
want them to see me as a tough customer,
one to whom the fates/gods/viruses have not
been kind, but who can face the brutal truth of
her existence squarely. As a cripple, I
swagger.
—Nancy Mairs, “On Being a Cripple”
Pathos Example
In the following example from a speech by
Winston Churchill, note the use of
anaphora (repetition of a word or group of
words at the beginning of items in a
series).
This repetition emphasizes the point and
expresses passion and emotion.
Moreover, the repetition affects the
audience emotionally.
Pathos Example
We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the
end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the
seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing
confidence and growing strength in the air, we
shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be,
we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the
landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in
the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall
never surrender.
—Winston Churchill, speech to the House of
Commons, June 4, 1940
Review
Logos = logic
Logos is an argument
based on facts,
evidence and reason.
Using logos means
appealing to the
audience’s sense of
what is logical.
Review
Ethos = Ethics / Image
Ethos is an argument
based on character.
The writer or speaker
presents him or herself
to the reader as credible,
trustworthy, honest and
ethical.
“I am an ethical expert, so
believe what I say.”
Review
Pathos = argument
based on feelings
Using pathos means
appealing to the
audience’s emotions
and feelings.
Pathos, Ethos, Logos
More on logos . . .
Using logos means basing an argument on
facts, evidence and reason.
Aristotle split evidence into two categories:
1. inartistic appeals (hard evidence)
2. artistic appeals (reason and common
sense)
Hard evidence
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Facts
Statistics
Surveys
Polls
Testimonies
Narratives
Interviews
Using one of these types
of evidence allows you to
make a statement and
then support that
statement with proof.
Statement + Proof
or
Claim + Supporting Evidence
Formal Logic: Syllogism
A syllogism consists of three parts:
Major Premise
Minor Premise
Conclusion
A syllogism is also a form of deductive
reasoning: the writer moves from a
general premise to a specific
conclusion.
Syllogism Examples
Major Premise: All human beings are mortal.
Minor Premise: Socrates is a human being.
Conclusion:
Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
Major Premise: All Olympic runners are fast.
Minor Premise: Usain Bolt is an Olympic runner.
Conclusion:
Therefore, Usain Bolt is fast.
Must Be Both Valid and True
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"A syllogism is valid (or logical) when its
conclusion follows from its premises. A
syllogism is true when it makes
accurate claims--that is, when the
information it contains is consistent with
the facts. To be sound, a syllogism must
be both valid and true. "
Syllogism Example
The Declaration of Independence is based on a
syllogism:
Major Premise: Tyrannical rulers deserve no
loyalty.
Minor Premise: King George III is a tyrannical
ruler.
Conclusion:
Therefore, King George III
deserves no loyalty.
Faulty Syllogism
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In the case of faulty syllogism, the
conclusion derived does not necessarily
follow from the preceding premises:
“Nobody is perfect.”
“I am nobody.”
“Therefore, I am perfect.”
Inductive Reasoning
Unlike deductive reasoning, which moves
from general to specific, inductive
reasoning moves from a hypothesis (a
question) through all the evidence
available to the conclusion. The
conclusion may be based on an inference.
Hypothesis —> Evidence —> Conclusion
Inductive Reasoning Example
Hypothesis:
How did the living-room window get broken?
Evidence:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
There is a baseball on the floor.
The baseball was not there this morning.
Some children were playing baseball this afternoon.
They were playing in the vacant lot across from the
window.
They stopped a little while ago.
They aren’t in the vacant lot now.
Inductive Reasoning Example
Conclusion:
One of the children
hit or threw the ball
through the window.
Then they all ran
away.
Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle
Another View …