3 Lessons from Aristotle

Clear thinking and communication

necessitates three important stages.

Find out what they are by watching our Truth in Two (full text below).

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Picture Credit: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

When I teach the college course “Argumentative Writing” I have students read Aristotle. The ancient philosopher outlines three key ingredients toward any discussion. “Pathos,” in the ancient sense, was about the emotion stirred in an audience by the speaker based on the argument made. “Ethos” is about the credibility or authority of the speaker. “Logos” maintains that arguments should be based on logic, an ordered approach to debate. If we jettison any of these components, or highlight one over the others, we cripple our discourse.

One of the reasons I love teaching on the public campus is the opportunity to be with others who may think differently than I do. I grow in my understanding of people who have varying points of view. Neither of us is necessarily giving up our beliefs; but because we are face-to-face, civility returns. We hear each other. Friendships are born. Camaraderie is built; even between people who disagree with each other’s point of view. Persuasion is based not on volume but on the value of an argument.

As a researcher and writer, I care deeply for factual transparency and honesty in reportage. I read across a wide spectrum of viewpoints. To obtain various points of view I read from The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Atlantic, National Public Radio, and The Wall Street Journal. But I have not found anyone who reports facts with such transparency and honesty as Bari Weiss. I spend money on subscriptions because I care to be widely read in culture, politics, ethics, economics, and religion. Bari Weiss is not conservative or progressive, Democrat or Republican. She is, in the truest sense, in the classic sense, a reporter. And I believe Aristotle would appreciate how Bari maintains pathos, ethos, and logos in her argumentative writing. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, President of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.