Transcript Logos, Ethos and Pathos

Rhetoric = The Art of Persuasion
The history of rhetoric and the concepts of
persuasion began in Greece.
Meet Aristotle
Aristotle was a
famous Greek
philosopher who
studied the art of
persuasion.
Plato, another
famous Greek
philosopher, was
his teacher.
Translated from Greek,
the word “philosopher” means
one who loves wisdom.
phil
love
soph
wisdom
er
philosophe
r
one
who
philosopher
The Art of Rhetoric
In approximately 300 B.C.E., Aristotle, wrote a book entitled, The
Art of Rhetoric. In his book, Aristotle identified the three methods
of persuasion: PATHOS, LOGOS, ETHOS
Plato
Aristotle
PATHOS = pity
 appeal to emotion/sex appeal/senses
 “awwh” factor
 appeal to memory or common experience
 poetic persuasion (figurative language)
LOGOS = logic
 facts
 reason
 rationales (if…then…)
ETHOS = ethics
 credibility/trustworthy
 authority/superiority in society or subject
 doctors, judges, celebrities
Pathos
• Pathos = pity (emotion)
• Pathos: related to the
words pathetic, sympathy,
and empathy
• Accept a claim based on
how it makes you feel
without fully analyzing the
rationale behind the claim
• May persuade you with
fear, love, patriotism,
guilt, hate or joy
Pathos, cont’d.
• Pathos is the use of emotional appeal.
Logos
• Logos = logic
• An “if…then…”
argument
• Logos refers to any
attempt to appeal to the
intellect.
• The audience relies on
reasoning and facts to
make its decision.
• Numbers, polls and
statistics are also
examples of the
persuasive use of logic.
Ethos
• Ethos = Ethics
• Refers to the trustworthiness of the
speaker/writer.
• The speaker must establish moral credibility and
expertise in his or her field in the minds of the
audience
When a judge comments on
legal precedent, audiences
tend to listen because it is
the job of a judge to know the
nature of past legal cases.
Persuasion in Advertising
Review each of the following
advertisements.
Each one uses persuasion to sell a
product or idea.
Review each ad and determine which
type of persuasion is being used.
#1
Pathos,
logos, or
ethos?
Ethos,
Patho
s, or
Logos
?
Ethos, Pathos, or Logos?
#2
Pathos,
logos, or
ethos?
#3
Pathos,
logos, or
ethos?
#4
Pathos,
logos, or
ethos?
Ethos,
Pathos,
or
Logos?
#5
Pathos,
logos, or
ethos?
#6
Pathos,
logos, or
ethos?
Ethos, Pathos, or Logos?
#7
Pathos,
logos, or
ethos?
Pathos, or
#8 Logos?
Pathos,
logos, or
ethos?
Ethos, Pathos, or Logos?
#9
Pathos,
logos, or
ethos?
#10
Pathos,
logos, or
ethos?
Ethos, Pathos, or Logos?
Ethos,
Pathos,
#11
Pathos,
Logos?
logos, or
ethos?
#12
Pathos,
logos, or
ethos?
Ethos,
Pathos,
or
Logos?
Using Pathos, Logos and
Ethos in a Persuasive Essay
• In a good persuasive essay, all three types
of persuasion should be employed.
• Begin with ethos (ethics) to provide reasons
and connect with your audience.
• Next, employ logos (logic) and make your
point with evidence and logic.
• Finally, end with pathos (appeal to emotions)
to get your reader on your side.
TOPIC:
Should we pursue the
development of alternative
“fuels” to run our vehicles
Position: Disagree – We should
NOT use other “fuels”
Pathos—Writing Sample
The changing of fuel types will cause an increase in the cost
of shipping food, which will directly impact the overall health
of our nation. Because many people in our country live on a
fixed income or below the poverty level, the extra cost for
food will be a burden for them. Many elderly people may
simply starve to death because they cannot afford to buy
groceries. Despite the fact that the United States is one of
the richest countries in the world, the rising cost of food
means some children will be denied healthy food choices.
Poor families will resort to cheaper fast food which will cause
health issues in young children.
Logos—Writing Sample
It would be extremely costly to change from gas fueled
vehicles to other forms or means of fuel. Gas stations
would have to change the pump systems that are used now
to a new pump system that would be costly to the gas
station owners. This would raise the price of another form
of fuel because the consumer will have to absorb the
difference in cost. The car industry would have to create
different types of gas tanks and fuel systems for vehicles
and prices on cars would increase. Another fuel system
would create problems for people who own cars that are
fueled by gas. We would have to phase in the new cars
with the new fuel systems and this would also be costly to
the consumer.
Ethos—Writing Sample
Our economy is pretty fragile now. The vehicle
manufacturers like Ford have had to close factories. This
affects. People’s ability to spend money which means
less spending money coming back into the economy.
Stores have to lay-off workers and reduce the amount of
products they make. The DOW goes down which means
the dollar does not have the same value as it did before
and other countries will not trade with us. Why are
American soldiers fighting for us in Iraq and losing their
lives for us if we turn to another form of fuel?