Question

the audience
through
rational
thought and
reason.
point - if this then that. (if you dont want
gum disease, then you should brush regularly.)
you must give convincing, solid evidence and
reasons to support your claims. (i need a car. it
would make me more independent, save me
money, improve my life.)
times and we get the same results every
single time.
that is not my wallet. my wallet has a
tear in it. this wallet has no tear in it.
therefore, it cannot be mine.
why use logos? if you can present a logical, rational argument to your audience, which engages
their intellect and sense of reason, they are more likely to be persuaded.
task one: for each of the following, explain whether or not you think that logos is being used effectively.

		explain

| | \i need new jeans. everyone in my
class has new jeans.\ | ✔ the isnt an effective use of logos as the reasoning is not logical and convincing. firstly,
its highly unlikely that everyone has new jeans (hyperbole). secondly, just because
other people have new jeans, it doesnt logically follow that the speaker needs them |
| 1 | \all men and women will die. you are a
man. therefore, you will die one day.\ | |
| 2 | \everyone has children. therefore,
everyone needs to think about the
schooling of his or her children.\ | |
| 3 | \you dont need to jump in front of a
train to know its a bad idea, so why do
you need to try drugs to know if theyre
damaging?\ | |
| 4 | \cigarette smoke contains over 4,800
chemicals, 69 of which are known to
cause cancer. so why start smoking?\ | |
| 5 | \every morning the rooster crows, then
the sun rises. therefore the rooster
causes the sun to rise.\ | |

Explanation:

To determine if logos is used effectively, we analyze each statement for logical reasoning, evidence, and valid arguments.

1. Statement: "All men and women will die. You are a man. Therefore, you will die one day."

This is a valid syllogism (logical structure). The major premise ("All men and women will die") is a universal truth, the minor premise ("You are a man") applies to the subject, and the conclusion follows logically. The argument is sound and uses logos effectively.

1. Statement: "Everyone has children. Therefore, everyone needs to think about the schooling of his or her children."

The premise ("Everyone has children") is false (not everyone has children), so the argument is based on an untrue assumption. This weakens the logical appeal, so logos is not used effectively.

1. Statement: "You don’t need to jump in front of a train to know it’s a bad idea, so why do you need to try drugs to know if they’re damaging?"

This uses a logical analogy: just as avoiding a dangerous action (jumping in front of a train) is rational, avoiding drugs (to avoid harm) is also rational. The analogy is clear and persuasive, so logos is used effectively.

1. Statement: "Cigarette smoke contains over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer. So why start smoking?"

It provides factual evidence (chemical count, carcinogenic chemicals) to logically argue against smoking. The data supports the conclusion, making the argument persuasive. Logos is used effectively.

1. Statement: "Every morning the rooster crows, then the sun rises. Therefore the rooster causes the sun to rise."

This confuses correlation (rooster crowing and sun rising) with causation. The conclusion is illogical (roosters do not cause sunrise), so logos is not used effectively (post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy).

Answer:

1. Effective (valid syllogism, logical conclusion).
2. Not Effective (false premise undermines logic).
3. Effective (logical analogy, persuasive reasoning).
4. Effective (factual evidence supports conclusion).
5. Not Effective (correlation ≠ causation fallacy).