Aristotle's Concepts Of Pathos, Ethos, And Logos Are Still Relevant...

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Aristotle's Concepts Of Pathos, Ethos, And Logos Are Still Relevant Today And Help Explain Some Of The Debate Disputes On This Site

Among the many concepts taught by Aristotle are "Logos" (logic or reason of a speaker), "Pathos" (emotional appeals by the speaker), and "Ethos" (the character of the speaker). These apply to all manners of persuasion, not just speakers but also debaters. We find on this site that Pathos (emotion) and Logos (reason) can stand at face value to be assessed, but Ethos (character) is harder to gauge since we really don't know who is who. Some debates succeed or fail based solely on Pathos or Logos, but the difficulty with Ethos is usually a wild card.

Grenache

07 Nov 2008 20:55

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I can't see why not.

Specter87

12 Nov 2008 18:22

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The Three Musketeers are still relevant today.

justsumguy

08 Nov 2008 00:35

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You beat me to the punch..

2free

08 Nov 2008 02:42

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So you're telling me Ethos can never be changed but yet people are still arguing over abortion?

So you're telling me Ethos hasn't changed from the times of Beowulf, those Pagan Values.

Like I said, listen, Logos affects Ethos.

If you put Logic to something then you can debate against Ethics in a culture. Ethics change all the time, people will continue to change.
The only thing in life that is constant is change and the world continues to change, morals change, and such.

You see how they keep changing the rules to an R rated movie, or a PG 13 movie. Ethos is not a set stone, it is a changing one to make something stand in anyone's mind and can continue to change to hold up someone's Emotions.

It's like this.
You're walking down a street.
You see a lot of money on the ground.
You're overcome with excitement and you're happy.
You pick it up and it you know with money you can go buy those new shoes.
But you remember your mom said it is bad to take something that isn't yours.
But you go buy the shoes anyway.

You debate with yourself and I'm pretty dam sure if you can do it with yourself..it is possible for someone else to cause that.

Ethos ain't set, neither is Logos or Pathos.
Nothing is ever definite. Anything can change.

And you said it yourself, it's experience.
Bad judgement, experience and then good judgement.

But that doesn't mean that triangle won't end up at your Ethos again and change it.

You can try to save someone from dying, but fail and vow to never do it again because of what you felt.

But then it happens again, you trust yourself again..and you change quick. You save a child.

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For me, your ethos is set in stone at the moment of the debate. Which is where the title debate was coming from, I thought. I don't mean it is set in stone and un changeable, but it is experience that changes it, not debate. 
I don't follow how your ethos is related to movie ratings, abortion or finding money in the street. These deal with ethos at societies level, not a personal one, which is where I thought this debate was coming from.
Character is formed by experiences.
Believe me your opinion is as confusing to me as mine obviously is to you.
You can prove me wrong by somehow altering my ethos with this debate. 
Maybe we have crossed wires on character. Which is what I am led to believe ethos is.
Justsumguy probably words what I was trying to say better than I can.
You may believe you have proven me wrong, and maybe you have, but I don't see it. I feel we are talking about two different things. 
Granted I know little of Aristotle and could be completely distorted in how I am reading this.

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So you're telling me Ethos is a set stone and can never change in a debate?

One's logic can change during a debate, causing his ethics to change. Let's say you find out something about abortion, which you were all for, but then in the debate you see that it is wrong, and the triangle I gave goes in effect. Your ethic can change, or stay the same. It depends on how you logic out.

You're telling if I go enter a debate..my ethos can't change?
Or in a debate, the topic not being about any ethic, I can't use ethos?

Let's say the topic is about Pornography and should it be banned.
In that dam debate I can surely use my ethics to say why it should be banned.

Next.

And ultimately..you're trying to say..ethos doesn't change through debate?
People change everyday and everyway, what makes you think words can't change someone?
Isn't that was debating is for? Two sides raging against each other in a battle, trying to change the way the other thinks?
You can't have two sides if there is only one.

Dude, go catch a clue and then maybe you can catch an ethic to debating, use your logic to do it and be happy with it.

I'm satisfied.

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You can read character as experiences you have had, or anything you know.
It can all still change by you thinking logically.
Which you don't seem to be doing.

I don't care, really, what you think character is.
It can change and does.
And really, just because you "don't", supposedly, change your views after you debate means you aren't open minded and don't read what you're actually debating against and just keep posting what you think.

You don't try to see what the other person is saying and you banter on about what you think is what and it's annoying, to be quite frank.
I didn't want to be mean, like this, but you are really ignorant and annoying and it may be because I am in a bad mood, or it may be because..you really aren't getting it.
You think things are unchanging, especially when change happens everyday. Every hour.
Every minute, every second. And the only thing that is constant is change.

You're sitting here telling me it is impossible to change someone's so called "set" ethics, including YOU, through words, or a debate.
When it's not and I know you have changed your views, morals, character because of a debate, or it motivated you to and quite frankly, that's just the same.

Get it together man, and stop being hard headed.

People battle with their ethics and in the end of the debate, one can change them. Their character, the way they treat themselves, or other people.
And maybe you need to get YOUR definition of character down.

Interesting summary, thank you. I agree that ethos is most difficult to assess in this setting, because I generally look at a person's actions to determine his character, more or less. Logos is more appealing to my way of thinking regarding debate, although pathos (rhetoric) is often more effective---nothing like an emotional story to get the message across.

charlee

08 Nov 2008 00:21

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Its hard to use pathos or ethos on a website like this. Pathos is generally best communicated face to face, and none of us really has any reason to trust another username very much. Its just a word with a picture next to it. Logos is the only one of the three that's completely relevant on this site.

ur_wrong

08 Nov 2008 02:38

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Pathos can happen through just words.
It can move through your nerves, strike a memory, or thought. I say it's not through face to face, it's through words to ear. Words to eyes.
Pathos can be generated through anything, if done right.
You can feel it right here, right now and make someone cry, laugh..hell go make someone live.
Ethos? Serious? Not relevant to this site?
Ethos is used too much on this site, don't get me started.
Logos. Well I just did that above.

In every way all three are used on this site, plenty much and will continue to happen.

They are the three concepts any debater will need and have.

And trust me..you'll know when something means anything to you.
You don't need a face, you'll only need you.

Genkaku

08 Nov 2008 02:55

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No.

We all have a brain, a heart, and a roar.
And, an opinion.

sylverwyld

08 Nov 2008 00:28

3 Comments

Tiger...

2free

08 Nov 2008 02:45

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