Logos

If a sheep has four legs, and this animal is a sheep, how many legs does it have? Logos is a mode of persuasion that appeals to listeners' capacity to make logical deductions.

Introduction

Whether innately or as a product of cultural osmosis, humans have the capacity to make logical deductions. 

Logos, one of the three rhetorical modes of persuasion, relates to how a speaker can appeal to their listeners' sense of logic to argue their given position. 

Appealing to Logos

Appealing to logos means reaching out to universal truths that exist beyond opinions and beliefs. Because of this, some view logos as cold and calculating, while others see beauty in its objectivity and universality. 

Regardless, logos is a powerful way to persuade listeners that a position is valid, and much of modern society is built upon its foundations. 

There are a number of ways a speaker can appeal to logos in their argument. 

Reasoning

Using clear reasoning assures listeners that an argument is based on established rules of logic. 

Over the millennia, different versions of these rules have been proposed and debated. While we do not detail these rules of logic here, the Encyclopedia Britannica does a fine job of explaining their usage.

Evidence

Using evidence assures listeners that a claim is well supported. This evidence can come in the form of recognised facts, statistics and the results of scientific studies. 

In the English classroom, textual examples are the primary form of evidence we use to convince others that our interpretation of a text is valid. 

Experts

Referring to recognised authorities within a field assures listeners that experts agree with the argument that is being presented. 

In the English classroom, these experts can include literary professors, journalists and established creators.

Analogies

To make an analogy is to compare one situation with another. With regards to rhetoric, an analogy compares the issue being debated with something similar that has happened in the past, or in a literary text. 

By describing the consequences of a historical or fictional example, a speaker suggests that a similar outcome is likely in the present situation—for better or for worse.

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Pathos