Thank You for Arguing

Aristotle wrote that there are three ways to persuade: 1) argument by character, or ethos, 2) argument by logic, or logos, and 3) argument by emotion, or pathos. In this chapter, Heinrichs will discuss all three.

When George Heinrichs was a little boy, he wanted to wear shorts in the middle of winter. Heinrichs tried to convince George using argument by character (appealing to the fact that he was George’s father). When this failed, he tried reason (George’s legs would get cold). Finally, he tried to use humor to convince George, pulling up his own pants legs and joking that he looked ridiculous. In the end, he compromised with his son, allowing him to wear shorts at school if he wore his snow pants outside.

Of the three forms of persuasion, logos is the “smart child,” who gets good grades in school. Ethos would be the charismatic child who gets elected class president, and pathos would be the sibling who’s disrespected, but who gets away with everything. Ethos is often criticized for being cheap and illogical, but even Aristotle recognized that it’s necessary for winning most arguments.

When Heinrichs tried to convince George to wear pants, George instinctively used logos, ethos, and pathos to counter his father. When Heinrichs cited his own authority as George’s father, George replied, “They’re my legs,” citing his own authority over his own body. He insisted that he didn’t mind if his legs got cold (logos), and he looked adorable when he tried not to cry (pathos). In the end, Heinrichs compromised with George, recognizing that George had matched him in their rhetorical argument.

When using logos, rhetoricians must remember the importance of concession—agreeing with an opponent’s points but still controlling the argument. By agreeing, rhetoricians keep the argument pleasant. For example, Heinrichs had a boss who was great at agreeing with Heinrich’s points and yet refusing to do what Heinrichs suggested. When Heinrichs proposed an idea, his boss would say, “Let’s circle back to it.” With concession, it’s possible to win an argument without saying “no” to your opponent even once.

When using pathos to persuade, rhetoricians transform themselves into emotional role models, showing other people how they should feel. In a way, rhetoricians make emotional concessions, steering the debate in a new direction. Once, Heinrichs came home from work, angry with his boss for ignoring an award his magazine had won. Dorothy, his wife, expressed sympathy and argued that Heinrichs should have gotten a bonus. Heinrichs found himself qualifying his anger, and even said, “It wasn’t that big an award.” Dorothy’s sympathy may have been genuine, but it also steered the conversation in a new direction by convincing Heinrichs to side with his employer.