Download Date: October 27, 2016

Date: October 27, 2016
To: Dr. Stuart MacMillan
From: Yang Zhou 29225188
Subject: Rhetorical Analysis of “Is Humanity Suicidal”
Note: the original article could be found at
http://www.ecobuddhism.org/wisdom/psyche_and_spirit/edward_wilson/
Introduction
This essay is focused on evaluating the effective and ineffective rhetorical strategies which are
employed in the article “Is Humanity Suicidal”. The author, Edward O. Wilson, is a Pulitzer
Prize winning Harvard Professor. In his article, he tries to draw the ordinary people’s attention
and to convince them to change their behaviors to save the existence of human race. His
strategies includes: a story to drive attention; contrasting arguments; ethical and effective use of
ethos, pathos, logos; explanation of environmental theory. This essay breaks his article down into
paragraphs to analyze his technique.
Discussion
The first two paragraphs start with a story and successfully drive the audience’s attention by
introducing the possibility of the end of the world. The story shows how human's interactions
with different environment aspects have destroyed the planet. The author uses pathos and tries to
give the audience the sense of fear by describing some human destruction results such as
“Atmospheric carbon dioxide rises to the highest level in 100,000 years. The ozone layer of the
stratosphere thins, and holes open at the poles”. The third paragraph states the author’s main
concern of the world’s ecosystem by stating the fact that the population has doubled in the past
50 years and predicted it will double again in the next 50 years.
In the fourth paragraph, Wilson states that how human values badly affect the environment. By
implying the general rule of ecology, the author uses logos arguments including scientific data
such as only about 10 percent of one specie’s energy could transfer to the upper species in the
food chain, he also states that human value of liking meat makes the use of the sun’s energy at
low efficiency. Furthermore, to support his argument, he also states the facts that human’s
“construction of buildings and roadways and the creation of wastelands” and “relentless search
for more food” have reduced other animals’ life.
In the fifth paragraph, Wilson mainly uses ethos to support his argument that human is
destroying the environment. By discussing the “Juggernaut Theory of Human Nature”, and also
psychologists’ discovery, Wilson says that “people are programmed by their genetic heritage to
be so selfish that a sense of global responsibility will come too late.” In the next two paragraphs,
Wilson explains humanity’s historical role in creating current condition and the evolution of
brains in the sixth paragraph, and exponential growth in both the human population and
technologies can pass through into the future to affect the environment. By offering and
discussing the scientific data of the past growth of the population, and the prediction of the future
and the example of the growth of Nigeria’s population, he convinces the audience that
endangering the environment is accelerated.
In the next three paragraphs, Wilson states that the Earth's natural resources are finite and the
Earth's ability to sustain itself from humanity's rough treatment is unknown. By using the
contrasting strategy, he discusses two perspectives for the human species, which are
exemptionalism and environmentalism. Wilson’s statements and opinions are logical in these
paragraphs. However, the lack of scientific convincing evidence makes his arguments less
persuasive, some audiences may think that these arguments are just his own opinion.
For the following paragraphs, Wilson states that he has hope for the human race and human can
change their way to affect the various pieces of ecosystems. He lists lots of statistics and facts,
for example when discussing the extinctions are increasing frequency. He uses ethos by “The
United Nations Conference on Environment and … to Humanity” to support his argument of
environmental deterioration. However, even though his assertions may be supported by current
research, Wilson doesn’t reference them. Also, the use of the ideas from “many scientists” and
“psychologists”, lacks scientific validity.
Conclusion
On one hand, the author, one of the world's great biologists and humanists, uses precise words to
develop his augment that human beings are not a suicidal species. His using strong logos and
persuasive scientific data certainly makes an excellent point that human species are changing
their behavior and working toward a more stable natural environment. One the other hand, some
of Wilson’s arguments may lack convincing evidences. His scientific background may help him
get accepted by people who are already in the field of biology and ecology. However, this article
may fall short of being a global wake up call to the ordinary public.