Aristotle's Philosophy

Aristotle wrote that “The ideal persuader should put the audience in the right emotional frame of mind (pathos), state the best arguments (logos), and have the right character (ethos). The persuader must not only try to make the argument of his speech demonstrative and worthy of belief; he must also make his own character look right.”(p.118). All of these components are essential to building a persuasive argument. However some can be centered on one of the concept that Aristotle identified.
According to Aristotle, our perception of a speaker or writer’s character influences how believable or convincing we find what that person has to say. This projected character is called the speaker or writer’s ethos. Ethos refers to the trustworthiness or credibility of the speaker. It can be conveyed through tone and style but it is very likely to be applied to the reputation of the speaker. We are naturally more likely to be persuaded by a person who, we think, has personal warmt...