Aristotle's Appeals

Where should you use it?

In connection with the development of the pitch.

The goal of argumentative writing and speaking is to persuade your audience that your ideas are valid, or more valid than someone else's. The Greek philosopher Aristotle divided the means of persuasion, appeals, into three categories - Ethos, Pathos, Logos.

Ethos (Credibility), or ethical appeal, means convincing by the character of the author. We tend to believe people whom we respect. One of the central problems of argumentation is to project an impression to the reader that you are someone worth listening to, in other words making yourself as author into an authority on the subject of the paper, as well as someone who is likable and worthy of respect. (Video 2)

Pathos (Emotional) means persuading by appealing to the reader's emotions. We can look at texts ranging from classic essays to contemporary advertisements to see how pathos, emotional appeals, are used to persuade. Language choice affects the audience's emotional response, and emotional appeal can effectively be used to enhance an argument. (Video 3)

Logos (Logical) means persuading by the use of reasoning. (Video 4)

Exercises

1) Make 3 different pitches where you use the different appeal forms thinking of your target group.

2) Two groups present for each other and reflect and evaluate

3) In plenum: Presentation of the 3 appeals presented by 3 different teams (volunteer).

4) Debate on the effect of the appeal forms in a pitching situation and make comparison with the 3 brains – heart, brain and gut-feeling? Can you speak to these as well or from these? (Rhetorical question)

Literature:

“Use your brain: All three of them” by George Santanyana

"The Roots of Research in (political) Persuasion: Ethos, Pathos, Logos and the Yale Studies of Persuasive Communications" byÜlkü D. Demirdögen