I tell my students that a persuasive argument must offer a proper balance of appeals to logic (logos), character (ethos), and emotions (pathos). These are the artistic proofs as identified by Aristotle–artistic because the rhetor must create them. Among the inartistic proofs is giving evidence. For Slate’s Timothy Noah, the combination of ethos and evidence in Colin Powell’s speech to the UN was persuasive.
The Rhetorica Network
I offer commentary on the rhetoric of the American conversation, especially as it unfolds in documentary film, the news media, and politics. Check out my feeds on Twitter and Instagram. Also be sure to see my work at Carbon Trace Productions, a non-profit documentary film studio in Springfield, Missouri. I am a Professor of Media & Journalism at Missouri State University. I teach classes in mobile journalism and documentary filmmaking.
Archives (incomplete)
Carbon Trace Productions
Meta