ARCS Ch4

Chapter 5 of this text focused on logical appeals. Logical appeals are defined in four ways according to Aristotle; scientific demonstration, dialect, rhetoric, and false or contentious reasoning. Other than other characteristics about logical appeals and the types, one thing that interested me most was the definitions of 'premise'. I have found that premises seem to derail arguments the most in my daily life. I can recall many times where I say something in an argument and my audience disagrees with my initial claim or assumption - I find this to be one of the most difficult parts about meeting with opposing parties. Finding a common claim to agree on seems to be the key to argument resolution. I also found it interesting how powerful comparing two alike situations can be in persuading audiences in an argument. These types of logical appeals seem to appeals to the ethos as well - applying your experiences to others can be a convincing way of relating personal experiences and persuading other people through this type of emotional connection. Analogies like hypothetical comparisons is one way Aristotle suggests to logically appeal (133).