Logos

In Writing Arguments, logos is used to appeal to the audience’s sense of reason and logic when forming a persuasive argument. In its Greek origins, the word logos means “word”, “reason”, or “plan”. To appeal to the rational mind, specific and concrete examples are crucial.

Ways to Increase use of Logos

• Demonstrate clear cause and effect

Identifying cause and consequence provides logical reasoning towards arguing effect.

• Use clear and academic language

Using noticably long or complex words or language simply to improve the sophistacation of writing increases the chance of misuse of these words, thus decreasing credibility. Similarly, use of overly casual language and phrasing will decrease crediblity within writing.

• Charts and diagrams

Providing concrete data, statistics, and results as evidence to support an argument or claim creates a clear and irrefutable source of logic.

• Follow a line of reasoning

Effectively incorporating the use of logos into writing requires demonstrating a clear plan throughout the argument. Providing irrelevant information or evidence not pertinent to the argument in question will distract readers from the initial claim and hinder logos. 

• Correct and appropriate sourcing and citations

Non-academic sources lacking peer review demonstrate low credibility in and of themselves. These are not effective sources of information or evidence to create a logical argument. 

• Inductive Reasoning

The use of multiple specific examples to create a larger claim.

• Deductive Reasoning

The use of a broad or general example to support a smaller more specific claim.

Logical Fallacies:

When creating an argument, avoid logical fallacies. These include:

1. Hasty Generalizations: Making a hasty generalization involves making a conclusion or claim with insufficient evidence. For example, using the phrase “many people” makes a generalization about a population. To avoid this, find out exactly how many people a claim applies to in order to support the argument. 

2. Slippery Slope: A slippery slope fallacy involves hyperbolizing the effect of one event on another event. Consider the following statement: “If you do not do well on this english essay, you will fail the class, and probably will not graduate.” This statement makes a potentially false conclusion based on a current event. To avoid this, do not make assumptions based on one circumstance if sufficient evidence is not available. 

3. Circular Argument: A circular argument, also called ‘Petitio Principii’ essentially uses some conclusion to argue for the same conclusion.  For example, one may say that, “college students often do not get enough sleep because they stay up late and then have to wake up early in the morning.” This statement is redundant and does not present an interesting or supported argument. Consider researching deeper into your claim and ask questions such as “why?” and “how?” when addressing different ideas. Avoiding making a circular argument will make an argument more persuasive and logical to the reader. 

Examples of Logos: Student Example

Ethical consumerism has the potential to influence companies’ production practices and reduce animal testing. The opinions and decisions of consumers are powerful in the cosmetic industry. Over the past few decades, overall concern for animal welfare has increased significantly. A Gallup poll from 2015 concluded that “Almost a third of Americans, 32%, believe animals should be given the same rights as people, while 62% say they deserve some protection but can still be used for the benefit of humans. The strong animal rights view is up from 2008 when 25% thought animals' rights should be on par with humans” (Statista). When considering public opinion on animals used for research purposes, the difference in opinions between animals used for medical testing and for cosmetic testing is worth noting. In the case of medical research, people are generally more accepting of using animal subjects. Figure 1 shows a chart published in 2018 by Statista which visualizes participants’ answers to the question, “Do you consider medical testing on animals morally acceptable or morally wrong?”. Figure 2 shows another Statista chart showing the “Share of U.S. consumers who would stop purchasing from cosmetics companies that test on animals as of April 2017”. The two charts are shown below:

Lush is a relatively new cosmetic brand, founded in 1995. Lush has actively avoided animal testing in their products for decades. Lush may have purchased cosmetic ingredients from manufacturers who utilized animal testing, but since June of 2007, the company confirmed that they do not test their products on animals or buy any ingredients tested on animals. (Ethical consumer). Changes in testing methods and ingredient sourcing are crucial to the reduction of animal testing. Alternative methods to animal testing allow companies to adapt and cater to higher demand for cruelty-free products. While companies are responsible for their own moral decisions regarding animal testing, ethical consumerism is pivotal to encourage the reduction of animal testing. The less money is given to un-ethical brands, the more likely they are to change their testing methods to encourage sales. Awareness of which products are ethically produced and purchasing from ethical brands has the potential to greatly reduce animal testing.

Analysis: How Logos is Demostrated in this Example

In the paragraph above, the author appeals to logos by using concrete evidence to support the topic sentence and overall argument. The first piece of evidence is taken from Statista, a reliable source for charts and statistics. In order to effectively appeal to logos, ethos must be established to demonstrate that the evidence presented is legitimate. The quote uses percentages to provide specific information to support the claim. Given the numbers, the argument becomes more clear and logical. Giving specific information rather than general statements that are not backed by concrete evidence builds a much more effective argument. The paragraph also utilizes charts which provide an interesting visual as well as additional numbers which support the claim. For this argument, the charts provide numbers to support the claim that overall concern for cosmetic animal testing has increased. Including charts and statistics similar to the ones in the paragraph above will make the argument presented more logical and compelling. 

Works Cited

“Appeals to Logos.” UM RhetLab

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/olemiss-writing100/chapter/appeals-to-logos/. Accessed November 30 2022.

Galgich and Zickel. “Rhetorical Appeals: Logos, Pathos, and Ethos Defined.” A Guide to 

Rhetoric, Genre, and Success in First Year Writing, Pressbooks, https://pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu/csu-fyw-rhetoric/chapter/rhetorical-strategies-building-compelling-arguments/. Accessed November 28 2022

“Logical Fallacies.” Excelsior University. https://owl.excelsior.edu/argument-and-critical-thinking/logical-fallacies/. Accessed November 28 2022.

“Pathos, Logos, and Ethos.” St. Luis Community College. https://stlcc.edu/student-support/academic-success-and-tutoring/writing-center/writing-resources/pathos-logos-and-ethos.aspx#:~:text=Logos%2C%20or%20the%20appeal%20to,use%20of%20facts%20and%20statistics. Accessed November 30 2022.