Ethos, Logos, Pathos

What Makes a Good Persuasive (Argument) Essay?

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Aristotle, who lived in ancient Greece, articulated three of the most important elements of an argument essay: Ethos, Logos and Pathos.

This simple illustration captures his philosopy:

Ethos uses authorities to make the argument.

"Ethos" relies on experts


Logos argues based on logic, statistics and facts.

"Logos" often relies on research studies


Pathos appeals to people's emotions.

"Pathos" relies emotions such as shame, anger or a sense of belonging



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