Why is logos effective

And what that means It's a ghost! The narrator uses logos in his discourse on scientific concepts by presenting his audience with an example—gravity—and asking them to consider their own experience of gravity as empirical evidence in support of his argument.

He urges his friends to come to a "rational, intelligent conclusion" about the concept of gravity, instead of relying on conventional wisdom and unexamined assumptions. Politicians frequently use logos, often by citing statistics or examples, to persuade their listeners of the success or failure of policies, politicians, and ideologies. In this example, Obama cites historical precedent and economic data from past years to strengthen his argument that recent progress has been substantial and that the nation's economy is in good health:.

But tonight, we turn the page. Tonight, after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis. More of our kids are graduating than ever before. More of our people are insured than ever before. In this speech, Reagan intends for his comparison between the poverty of East Berlin—controlled by the Communists—and the prosperity of Democratic West Berlin to serve as hard evidence supporting the economic superiority of Western capitalism.

The way he uses specific details about the physical landscape of West Berlin as proof of Western capitalist economic superiority is a form of logos:. Where four decades ago there was rubble, today in West Berlin there is the greatest industrial output of any city in Germany--busy office blocks, fine homes and apartments, proud avenues, and the spreading lawns of parkland.

Where a city's culture seemed to have been destroyed, today there are two great universities, orchestras and an opera, countless theaters, and museums. Where there was want, today there's abundance--food, clothing, automobiles--the wonderful goods of the Ku'damm. From devastation, from utter ruin, you Berliners have, in freedom, rebuilt a city that once again ranks as one of the greatest on earth In the s, Khrushchev [leader of the communist Soviet Union] predicted: "We will bury you.

In the Communist world, we see failure, technological backwardness, declining standards of health, even want of the most basic kind—too little food. Even today, the Soviet Union still cannot feed itself. After these four decades, then, there stands before the entire world one great and inescapable conclusion: Freedom leads to prosperity.

Freedom replaces the ancient hatreds among the nations with comity and peace. Freedom is the victor. It's important to note that the three modes of persuasion often mutually reinforce one another.

They don't have to be used in isolation from one other, and the same sentence may even include examples of all three. For instance, if a politician lists the number of casualties in a war, or rattles off statistics relating to a national issue, these facts may well appeal to the audience's emotions as well as their intellect, thereby strengthening pathos as well as logos as elements in the speech.

Consider this passage from Michelle Obama's speech at The Partnership for a Healthier America Summit, in which she updates listeners on the success of her Let's Move! I mean, just think about what our work together means for a child born today.

Maybe that child will be one of the 1. Active Schools who are getting 60 minutes of physical activity a day, or one of the 5 million kids soon attending healthier after-school programs. While Obama includes statistics to persuade her audience that Let's Move! Logos Definition. Logos Examples. Logos Function. Logos Resources. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts.

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Sign in. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Literature Poetry Lit Terms Shakescleare. Download this entire guide PDF. For example, an argument in favor of keeping abortion legal may cite the May Pew Research poll that found 54 percent of Americans in favor of legal abortion.

This figure makes a logical argument: abortion should be legal because the majority of Americans support it, and in a democracy, the majority makes the decisions. Causal statements. Consider an argument about lowering the drinking age from 21 to a writer might suggest that, if the legal drinking age were 18, then people between 18 and 21 would be less likely to drive under the influence.

Relevant examples or other evidence. Even expert testimony, which would certainly be an example of ethos, also could be an example of logos, depending on its content. For example, in a discussion about recent cuts in education funding, a statement from the Hillsborough County, Florida, superintendent would be an appeal to authority.

We humans have made lots of amendments to how we live e. Argument from Ignorance: Assuming something is true because it has not been proven false. It would be an argument from ignorance for a judge or juror to reach a verdict without hearing all of the necessary information. Conceptions of equality can vary among feminists, but characterizing them as men-haters detracts from their true motivations. False Dilemma: Assuming that there are only two options when there are, in fact, more.

Hasty Generalization: Drawing a broad conclusion based on a small minority. For instance, if you witnessed a car accident between two women drivers, it would be a hasty generalization to conclude that all women are bad drivers. Cum Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc With This, Therefore Because of This : Confusing correlation with causation—that is, thinking that because two things happened simultaneously, then one must have caused the other.

The slippery slope argument can also function as a false invocation of logic or reason in that it involves a causal statement that lacks evidence. For example, I might argue that if the drinking age were lowered from 21 to 18, vast numbers of college students would start drinking, which in turn would lead to alcohol poisoning, binge drinking, and even death.

This conclusion requires evidence to connect the legality of drinking with overindulgence. In other words, it does not follow that college students would drink irresponsibly if given the opportunity to drink legally. Suggest an edit to this page? Please share your feedback, both favorable and unfavorable. For example, a writer or speaker may begin with an anecdote showing the effect of a law on an individual. In such a context, engaging the emotions, values, or beliefs of the audience is a legitimate tool whose effective use should lead you to give the author high marks.

Even Sarah McLachlan, the singer and spokesperson featured in the commercials admits that she changes the channel because they are too depressing Brekke, Even if an appeal to pathos is not manipulative, such an appeal should complement rather than replace reason and evidence-based argument. In addition to making use of pathos, the author must establish her credibility ethos and must supply reasons and evidence logos in support of her position.

An author who essentially replaces logos and ethos with pathos alone should be given low marks. See below for the most common fallacies that misuse appeals to pathos. Appeal to fear: using scare tactics; emphasizing threats or exaggerating possible dangers.

Appeal to guilt and appeal to pity : trying to evoke an emotional reaction that will cause the audience to behave sympathetically even if it means disregarding the issue at hand. Appeal to the people: also called stirring symbols fallacy; the communicator distracts the readers or listeners with symbols that are very meaningful to them, with strong associations or connotations.

Appeal to tradition: people have been done it a certain way for a long time; assumes that what has been customary in past is correct and proper. Loaded-Language and other emotionally charged uses of language: using slanted or biased language, including God terms, devil terms, euphemisms, and dysphemisms.

There is something objectionable about Person 1. Therefore claim X is false. Fallacies can crop up whenever definitions, inferences, and facts are at issue. Once we become familiar with fallacies we may start to see them everywhere. That can be good and bad. Since persuasion is ever-present, it is good to be on guard against various hidden persuaders. But whether a persuasive strategy is considered fallacious may be dependent on context. Editorials and advertisements—both political and commercial—frequently use such strategies as transfer and appeals to popularity.

We need to be critically aware of the techniques of persuasion being used on us, but since we expect advertisements, political speeches, and editorials on public policy or ethical issues to try to sway us emotionally, perhaps only extreme examples deserve to be judged harshly for being fallacious. In addition, something that looks as if it is a fallacy may turn out not to be on closer examination.

For example, not everything that smacks of slippery slope is fallacious. There are indeed some genuine slippery slopes, where an initial decision or action may have both great and inevitable repercussions.

So whether that fallacy has been committed depends upon what the author has done or failed to do to support his claim. For example, when somebody is running for political office or for a judgeship, casting doubt on his or her character may be appropriate— if one has facts to back it up—since it relates to job expectations.

But wholesale character assassination remains a rhetorical ploy of the propagandist or demagogue. Privacy Policy. Skip to main content. Reading: Logic and Structure. Search for:. Evaluating Appeals to Ethos, Logos, and Pathos Introduction As a reader and a listener, it is fundamental that you be able to recognize how writers and speakers depend upon ethos , logos , and pathos in their efforts to communicate. Evaluate an Appeal to Ethos When you evaluate an appeal to ethos , you examine how successfully a speaker or writer establishes authority or credibility with her intended audience.

Does she demonstrate familiarity with different opinions and perspectives?