This week’s podcast covers Aristotle’s three modes of persuasion: logos, pathos and ethos.
Every argument, including every campaign speech, commercial or debate performance, will include attempts to persuade the audience using logic (logos), emotion (pathos) and authority (ethos), which means that an understanding of these three concepts will be central to our ability to think critically about the US election.
While these three elements were created in the past (in ancient Athens) and are relevant in the present (during this year’s election campaign), they also have something to say about the future. This includes the fictional future of Star Trek where we can see logos, pathos and ethos play out in the themes and characters of one of television’s most popular science fiction shows.
References made during this podcast include:
Links to suggested sources for further study of Aristotle and ancient philosophy can be found on the Resources page
Educational material associated with this week’s podcast include:
Critical Voter - Modes of Persuasion - Quiz
Critical Voter - Modes of Persuasion - Lesson Plan
