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LOGOS: The Voice of ReasonEnglish Composition 112The University of AkronLauren Garcia-DuPlain

+What is Logos?The REASON and STRUCTURE in your

argument

Facts and statisticsCited materialTypes of reasoning

Comparison, deductive, inductive, etc.

How you arrange the componentsAristotle favored logic

over the other persuasive strategies..

+Types of Reasoning Move from general to

specific

Major Premise: All human beings are mortal.

Minor Premise: John is a human being.

Conclusion: Therefore, John is mortal.

Move from specific to general

I loaned my friend $50 last November and he failed to pay me back.

I loaned him another $50 just before Christmas, which he hasn't paid back

and yet another $25 in January, which is still unpaid.

I suppose it's time to face facts: He's never going to pay me back. (Conclusion)

Deductive Inductive

+Reasoning by Analogy

When we encounter a new situation, we may search for some familiar elements in it to give us an indication of what to do. 

Helps us to present our argument or reasoning in terms that our readers will understand

Be careful – analogies are rarely “on point” You can’t easily compare wars, for example

"MTV is to music as KFC

is to chicken."

(Lewis Black)

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Organization is part of LOGIC.What order will be most compelling to your audience?

Arrangement

“Sea levels would rise 20 feet if the Greenland Ice Sheet melted and 200 feet if the Antarctic Ice Sheet melted. This would result in coastal flooding of the most powerful economic cities on the face of the Earth, including New York City.”www.ehow.com