Download Aristotelian Rhetoric

Aristotelian Rhetoric
Classical Argument Theory Still Holds Up
Aristotle
Fourth-century B.C.E. Greek philosopher and
scholar of rhetoric who wrote a book called The
Rhetoric. In this book, he teachers his readers
how to state a claim and prove it using three
forms of proof: logos, pathos, and ethos.
Rhetoric
• The art or skill of speaking or
writing formally and
effectively especially as a way
to persuade or influence
people.
Logos
An appeal to readers’ sense of
reason or logic. As a form of proof,
it relies on common assumptions
an beliefs, as well as factual
information and data.
• According to Aristotle, logos was
the most important type of proof.
Pathos
An appeal to readers’ emotions.
An audience’s emotions are
aroused by the use of emotional
language, images, examples, or
personal narratives.
• An emotional appeal is very
effective, but it is ethical only
when it is used to support the
logical basis of the argument
rather than to manipulate the
audience.
Ethos
An appeal to readers’ sense of ethics
and credibility. An ethical appeal is
intended to convince the audience
of the credibility of a source of
information, of the argument itself,
or even of the writer.
• For example, in order to be
persuaded by an argument, the
readers must be convinced that the
writer is an ethical person, who
knows what he or she is talking
about. No one is persuaded by
someone he or she doesn’t trust.
Sources
Raign, Kathryn Rosser. The Decisive Writer.
Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006. Print.