Part I

Over the next few posts, I want to investigate the idea of ethos, pathos, and logos. What are they? What is the secret 4th one? Who came up with them? How can each be used? Which is most fundamental? And finally, which one is strongest or most important? 

The idea of ethos, pathos, and logos came from the philosopher Aristotle. Among many of his other pursuits, he had an interest in rhetoric and wrote a work on the topic. In this work, he coined these methods of persuasion. Ethos more or less refers to credibility. It might seem confusing at first, but it’s actually quite simple. For example, as a student, as a general rule of course, I listen and learn what teachers have to say because they have degrees in their respective fields. Society allows teachers to teach because of that credibility. However, it’s not necessarily true that the teacher is necessarily correct or more knowledgeable than someone without a degree. The teacher could have forgotten everything they learned in college or was never good at it in the first place. But, just like for hiring, what we look at is the degree, the credibility, often citing that as evidence of skill or knowledge even if it may not actually be present. Another way to think of it is arguments of authority. That is, I know more than you because I hold a doctorate in the area. Well, I must also note that if one acts well enough in pretending to be credible, it also qualifies as ethos. Regardless, credibility is the essential essence of ethos. 

_{Cover photo by Jaylan Shuea}