If you love storytelling or public speaking, you’ve probably come across ethos, pathos, and logos. These persuasion techniques make up the triangle of rhetoric.
When marketers and advertisers create campaigns, they rely on these persuasive tools to motivate people to take action.
Ethos is a crucial element in persuasive writing, marketing, and ads. As you strive to enhance your own writing, it’s vital to grasp the meaning of ethos, what are examples of ethos, and how using it effectively can significantly enhance your prose.
What Is Ethos?
Ethos is a crucial element of argument and persuasion that helps speakers or writers establish their credibility, knowledge, and moral character. It’s used in both writing and public speaking, and all writers employ ethos to some extent to establish authority on a particular subject and build trust with readers.
In rhetoric, ethos refers to the character or emotions of a speaker or writer that they express to persuade an audience. It differs from pathos, which aims to evoke emotions in the audience. In the broader sense, ancient Classical authors used pathos to denote intense emotions and ethos for calmer ones.
In ancient times, ethos represented a person’s natural disposition or moral character, a lasting quality, while pathos referred to a temporary and often intense emotional state. Renaissance writers viewed the distinction differently, with ethos describing character and pathos representing an emotional appeal.
Example: As a three-time Olympic gold medalist, I can assure you that this energy drink will improve your fitness and stamina.
Emphasis on being an Olympic gold medalist shows the speaker’s credibility.
This is why many brands partner with doctors, athletes, and actors to feature in commercials to endorse their products.
How Is Ethos Affected by Pathos and Logos?
When using ethos in your writing, it is important to balance it with the use of compassion and logos to make a complete and persuasive argument.
Pathos is an emotional appeal. Pathos serves to balance ethos by providing greater emotional resonance. Your argument is better served by communicating its moral value and relating to the reader through his or her past experience by using emotional language.
The logos is a logical appeal. Logos are most effective when based on credibility, or ethos. Having relevant experience or knowledge builds goodwill with the reader and draws them to the same logical conclusion.
What Are the Origins of Ethos?
Ethos is a Greek word roughly translated as “moral character”. The idea of ethos as a means of persuasion was developed by the Greek philosopher Aristotle in his work Rhetoric (sometimes called On Rhetoric). In Rhetoric, Aristotle establishes three main modes of argument: ethos, logos, and pathos.
The three components of ethos
Aristotle breaks down a successful ethical appeal using three parts, all of which come together to establish the author as a credible expert:
- Phronesis: This is all about showing off your smarts and expertise. It could be your firsthand experience that gives your opinion some real weight, or maybe you’ve got a fancy doctorate degree in the subject. Using solid examples and citing reliable sources also adds to your credibility.
- Arete: This part is about being morally right and making logical sense. You want to organize your argument in a way that guides your audience through your thought process. If you do it right, they’ll totally get why your perspective is important and totally justified.
- Eunoia: Now we’re talking about being a good person with good intentions. Eunoia is all about showing your audience that you’re on their side and that you’ve got their best interests at heart. It’s like saying, “Hey, I’m here to help you out, and I genuinely want what’s best for you.”
When you put all these components together, it makes you super reliable as a writer or speaker. People will see you as an expert, someone who knows their stuff and genuinely cares about their audience.
Examples of Ethos in Writing
Examples of Ethos is Used in Various Contexts:
Expert witness reports: In legal cases, lawyers sometimes use reports from knowledgeable professionals like doctors to strengthen their arguments. These reports rely on the expert’s expertise to enhance the lawyer’s credibility.
Memoir: Memoirs are personal accounts that provide reliable perspectives on notable moments in an author’s life. They offer firsthand experiences and insights, making them trustworthy narratives.
News articles: Journalists aim to engage readers with clear, unbiased, and fair reporting. They research current information and present facts in the reader’s best interest, establishing credibility through ethos.
Opposite editorial (op-ed): Op-eds are articles based on personal opinions. Authors must establish themselves as reliable and knowledgeable, appealing to readers’ ethos by presenting well-founded arguments.
Print or online advertisements: Ads intend to persuade consumers to take action, such as buying a product. To establish trust, brands often leverage public figures like celebrities or influencers who have built a reliable reputation with the audience.
In these examples, ethos is utilized to enhance credibility, trustworthiness, and reliability, connecting with audiences on a more personal and approachable level.
Examples of ethos in a speech
Examples of ethos in speech or writing:
Example 1. “As a doctor, I can assure you that this treatment will likely give you the best results.”
Example 2. “With three decades of experience in public service, a strong commitment to this community, and a willingness to work with the opposition, I am the ideal candidate for mayor.”
Example 3. “Having served in the Marines, I can tell you that caution is the best approach in this kind of situation.”
Example 4. “You know me—I’ve been teaching Sunday School, babysitting your kids, and running the playground for years. I’m more than capable of managing your preschool.”
Example 5. “Our roofing contracting expertise is evident in our 50 years in the business, our qualified technicians, and the countless satisfied customers who expect nothing but the best from us.”
Example 6. “He’s a forensics and ballistics expert for the federal government—if anyone can determine the murder weapon, it’s him.”
Example 7. “Based on my numerous archaeological expeditions worldwide, I’m confident that those potshards are of Mesopotamian origin.”
Example 8. “If my age doesn’t convince you that I know what I’m talking about, remember that I’m your grandfather and I only want the best for you.”
Example 9. “If you’re still unsure, just consider my advanced degree and the fieldwork I’ve conducted—they speak for themselves.”
Example 10. “I’ve spent my whole career studying infectious diseases and their impact, and trust me, getting vaccinated is crucial for public health.”
Example 11. “In my 30 years as an art critic, I’ve never seen a contemporary artwork with so many layers of meaning like this one.”
Example 12. “I’ve traveled to over 60 countries, so based on my experience, I can give you solid recommendations on where to go and where to avoid.”
Example 13. “I didn’t come from a wealthy background, but by 22, I was already running a $100 million company. So, trust me, I know the ups and downs of entrepreneurship firsthand.”
Example 14. “As a former judge who handled countless criminal cases, I’ve seen how our justice system often falls short and leads to injustice.”
Example 15. “I’m a certified personal trainer with years of experience training pro athletes and clients with all kinds of fitness goals. I can create a perfect training and nutrition program for you.”
Example 16. “With 25 years of teaching and a doctoral degree in education, I can guarantee you that early childhood learning sets the foundation for a child’s future success.”
Example 17. “I’ve trained in culinary schools worldwide and worked in fancy Michelin-starred restaurants. Trust me, cooking is more than just following recipes.”
Example 18. “I’ve been a craftsman for 30+ years, mastering pottery and sculpture. Let me tell you, hands-on artistry has incredibly therapeutic benefits.”
Example 19. “As a psychologist with over 20 years of clinical experience and research in cognitive behavior, I firmly believe that maintaining a positive mindset is vital for good mental health.”
Example 20. “For the past two decades, I’ve been fighting for the environment as a professional environmentalist. Trust me when I say that switching to renewable energy is crucial for a sustainable future.”
Examples of Ethos in ads
Advertisers love to use ethos to convince people to buy their stuff. They used to go all out by dressing up actors as doctors who would rave about the miraculous effects of medication. But let’s be real, these cheesy tactics called “fake ethos” are now just asking to be laughed at.
Still, they haven’t given up on using celebrities or expert testimonials to boost their product’s credibility.
Take, for example, this Prudential Financial commercial featuring Harvard social psychologist Dan Gilbert. They’re really banking on his reputation to give their product some serious street cred.
Why Do They Use Ethos?
Politicians, activists, and advertisers use ethos because they know they can’t convince anyone if people don’t trust, respect, or see them as knowledgeable.
But in fiction, ethos works a bit differently. Authors aren’t trying to directly persuade readers like politicians or advertisers. Instead, they use ethos through their characters. By showing characters using ethos, authors reveal how they perceive each other, their values, and their motivations.
Ethos is also key for establishing a credible narrator in literature. A trustworthy narrator is vital for a successful story. If a narrator doesn’t come across as reliable, readers doubt everything they say. It’s exhausting to feel like you’re being lied to or manipulated by a narrator, making it hard to enjoy the book.
While readers often assume a narrator is credible, if you’ve ever read a book where you disliked the narrator or felt that the characters weren’t believable, it might be a sign that the author failed to establish their ethos.
Sometimes, writers intentionally create unreliable narrators—ones who purposely or unknowingly present a biased narrative—but even for these narrators, ethos is crucial. The author must first establish their credibility and then gradually undermine it throughout the story.
References:
Aristotle. (1926). Rhetoric. In Aristotle in 23 Volumes, Vol. 22, translated by J. H. Freese. Harvard University Press. (Original work published ca. 367-322 B.C.E.)
Rapp, C. (2022). Aristotle’s Rhetoric. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2022). Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2022/entries/aristotle-rhetoric/