Types of Logical Appeals:
Logos, Ethos, and Pathos
Exploring Different Types of Appeals
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Emotional (pathos) - appeals to feelings
Ethical (ethos) – appeals to values
Logical (logos) – appeals to reason/logic
Each different rhetorical situation you find
yourself in will call for you to use a different
balance of these three types of appeals.
Types of Appeals: Logos
• One type of appeal appeals to your readers’
rational sides using facts and logical explanations.
• This is called logos, which is related to the word
"logic.“
• By making sure that your facts are relevant and
well-documented, you will increase your credibility
as a writer.
• If an appeal uses scientific research, data, or other
“cold, hard facts” to make its point, it is using logos.
Types of Appeals: Ethos
• You may be appealing to your readers’ sense of
what is ethical (in this context “ethical” means
“the right thing to do”) by asserting that you
share common values with them. An appeal to
values/ethics is an appeal to ethos, which shared
a root with the word “ethical.”
• If an argument is appealing to ideals or values
that are important to the reader (for example,
equality and fairness, “The American Dream,”
etc.) and are shared by the writer, it is appealing
to ethos.
Types of Appeals: Pathos
• You may also be making an appeal to emotion.
This is called pathos. It shares a root with the
word "pathetic," which originally mean “inspiring
pity.” It originally meant appealing to the
emotions without the negative connotation of
weakness that modern English gives it.
• You are trying to get your audience to really feel
for whatever cause you are arguing for.
• If an argument “tugs at the heart strings” or
causes the reader to emotionally engage with the
topic, it is using pathos.
Balancing Logos, Ethos, and Pathos
• It is your job as a writer to balance facts,
values, and emotions. Too much of one and
not enough of the others can make for an
unbalanced argument. Be especially aware of
overusing emotional appeals. People are
smart, and they don't like being jerked around
by their emotions. This is especially true
when writing for a mixed audience… people
who disagree with you will be on the lookout
for emotional manipulation.
How can I use claims and appeals in
my own writing?
• Identify what’s at stake.
• Take some time right now to ask yourself, who might be
affected by my issue? Also, be on the lookout for sources
who can give you more info on what’s at stake. A lot of
times, we don’t know exactly what’s at stake until we do the
research.
• What types of appeals might be useful for you? How might
you use emotion? How might you use logic? Values?
• Be on the lookout for all types of appeals, or the building
blocks of all types of appeals, in your sources as you read.