Logos – The Glue Holding the Other Two Together

As part of a matched set, it could be argued that Logos is the glue tying ethos and pathos together. Without logic, emotional appeals fall flat and become nothing more than emotional, irrational pleas. While ethos builds credibility and trustworthiness, it also works hand-in-hand with pathos. Without all three, your argument is weak and easily refuted. So, it becomes necessary to find the logic in any argument in order to present it effectively.

What is Logos?

From the Greek word for reason, and popularized by Aristotle,  Logos is a rhetorical appeal to a reader or audience’s sense of logic or reasoning. Logos is used in argumentative and persuasive writing in conjunction with its counterparts, ethos and pathos. or reasoning. Logos is used to support a claim or refute an opposing argument. The use of logos, ethos, and pathos is often an identifying marker for argumentative or persuasive writing, most notably in philosophy and ethics.

When do writers use Logos?

As a rhetorical tool used to appeal to an audience or reader’s sense of logic, writers use Logos to present facts, statistics, and other evidence to support their argument. Logos adds structure, credibility, and trustworthiness  to an argument while making it difficult for others to disagree with you.

How to use Logos?

To use logos effectively in your writing, you will need to thoroughly research your topic credible facts and conclusions. Here are some tips:

Properly cite your sources.
Present accurate and reliable facts as evidence.
Make sure your evidence is relevant to the argument.
Use logical reasoning to explain your position.
Avoid logical fallacies, such as false dichotomies and circular reasoning.
Use clear, concise language to fully explain both sides of your argument.
Present your argument, facts, and evidence in a structured, logical order.

Here is an example of what the effective use of logos in an argument should look like:

For more information, check out this incredibly helpful TED talk:

Logos in Practice

If you take the time to examine everyday arguments, commentary, and literature, you will find that Logos, along with its counterparts, is found in almost everywhere. At times, you may not even be aware and the message may become subliminal in situations where you are in a waiting room and ads are playing on a TV in the background. You may not be paying attention, but your mind is registering what is being said.

Look at all the ways Logos is used in its many mediums.

Politics & Rhetoric – In the olden days, philosophers such as Aristotle would make public speeches on topics such as ethics while making logical arguments by and citing other influential philosophers as evidence.
The Study of … – Although the humanities are what first come to mind, this can literally refer to the study of anything. For example, you want to study the mating habits of bees and write a paper on it. You will need to use logos to appeal to your readers’ sense of logic in an effort to prove your findings are credible and trustworthy.
Novels – One of the greatest examples of logos occurs in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch makes his impassioned appeal to the jury logically and methodically in an order to prove his client’s innocence.
Plays – Early Greek dramatists structured plays around philosophical debates and famous playwrights, such as Shakespeare, often tackled moral issues.  Example: Othello
Poems – Nearly every Shakespearean sonnet has the narrator make a passionate, logical plea to a lover in hopes of reciprocation. 
Newspaper Articles – When reporting on a topic, the reporter must thoroughly research all sides to uncover the truth. S/he/They must determine which sources are credible and those to the public while presenting their facts in structured, logical order while making a call to action.
Advertising – Ads by their nature are persuasive pleas to the public to see this, buy that, vote for them, etc. As a result, ad campaigns must incorporate logos into their pleas.

Logos in Literature 📚

When looking for examples of logos in literary arguments, Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal is generally overlooked. The reason for this is that Swift’s argument, while entirely satire and not meant to be taken seriously, is highly immoral and wholly offensive to some. However, that neither makes his argument flawed nor illogical.

In the following excerpt, Swift details the logic behind his proposal that children could solve the food shortage issue by becoming a source of food to the upper classes.

In this except, Swift cites his source as a high-ranking nobleman thereby establishing his credibility. He has carefully calculated the over-population of children in the lower stations of society and breaks down the allotment of children to be reserved for breeding to preserve the population and then sets forth a plan for the remaining one thousand to serve as a food source for the upper echelon of society. He has carefully structured his argument, presented the facts in a credible way, and made his plea in a logical manner.

And in Poetry, aka, Shakespeare in Poetry ✍🏽

In this passage from The Merchant of Venice, Portia uses logic to argue the opposing counsel is owed their “pound of flesh” –

In Othello, the following passage is a double-edged sword. Hero, the villain, Lago, masterfully uses logos to persuade Othello not to give in to jealousy while at the same time, telling him that is exactly what he should do.

Clearly, the right wordsmith can do anything.

Logos in Movies and Pop Culture 🎥

As we continue on and look at how logos is used in film and pop culture, there are actually quite a few great examples. For anyone who’s ever seen Legally Blonde 2 (2003) the courtroom scene in which Elle proves her client’s innocence is a classic, and humorous, example of Logos. Take a look.

And in the Matrix Reloaded (2003) when Neo meets the Architect:

Logos in Advertising 📺

As previously mentioned, advertising by its very nature is persuasive which makes Logos a necessary component in any ad campaign. Typically, we like to provide at least two or three solid examples of a topic but sometimes, one really excellent example says it all. This happens to be one of those times.

This Verizon video, as pointed out by many others, is pure Logos. As far as visual and auditory examples of logic in advertising go, it just doesn’t get any better. See for yourself.

Used in Conjunction with … 👥

Ethos – How a writer and a speaker earns credibility and trustworthiness. Ethos is a rhetorical appeal meant to display your knowledge of the topic, credibility, and moral character (trustworthiness).
Pathos – The emotional appeal to a reader or audience. Pathos relies heavily on metaphor and lively, or impassioned, prose to make a connection with the reader or audience.

FAQ 🤔