Monday, January 26 2008
January 10, 2009
Today’s Agenda:
For today, you were to complete a draft of your précis on “The Oblivious Empire.”
Let’s begin by turning the draft over and writing down how and why this draft is better than your précis draft for “Those Unnerving Ads Using ‘Real’ Women.” In particular, focus on the changes you have made to the document’s structure. (5-10 mins)
Class Discussion of Changes (5 mins)
Now that we have talked a little bit about how this draft is better, we need to perform some proofreading. I want you to exchange copies of your draft with a neighbor. We are going to perform FOCUSED proofreading of this document.
Situation: 5 mins on grammar and mechanics
5 mins on content
Issue: 5 mins on grammar and mechanics
5 Mins on content
Thesis: 5 mins on grammar and mechanics
5 mins on content
Homework: Your homework for Wednesday is to complete the following:
Read: ”Arguments based in reason: Logos“. Readings: Required 78-101
Write a one-and-a-half page blog post on the following topic:
Clearly identify and describe in detail a logos-based argument that you have encountered recently. What was the argument? How was the argument designed to appeal to your reason? Did this appeal work? If so, why? If not, why not?
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I would have to say a logos based argument that I have encountered could be whether or not I should go to college. Is paying thousands of dollars that you don’t have to go to school worth it. Of course once you graduate from college you are more likely to have a very well paying job now with your experience and degree. You will be able to make the money to be able to pay off your debt. Whereas if you didn’t attend college you would end up with an average job. Maybe if you happen to be good at something you could end up in construction or another job of that sort and live a decent life but many without a college education have a hard time making it and end up living on minimum wage or welfare. Though even if I do get a college education that doesn’t necessarily mean that I will make a ton of money and be happy. But having that experience will give me the opportunity to pursue higher job qualifications if I wish. Going to college can present you with a lot more opportunities such as internships and advanced knowledge in the field in which you wish to pursue.
Going to college is a good choice because you may not know what you want to do with the rest of your life. But by attending college you get to move to a new place and meet new people. You get an opportunity to experience a different kind of teaching and a chance to push yourself into unknown learning experiences. Of course with a college degree you are guaranteed to make more money than without one. It can also teach you life skills you will need to be ready for when you begin working for a certain company. It also gives you a transition stage to living on your own. By attending college you are forced to make your own decisions but of course always have people to fall back on who will help you when you are confused and don’t know what to do. You also have a choice of if college is right for you. Some people only wish to attend for two years before they want to start working and begin there life journey whereas others attend school for as many as eight years or more. It all depends on what you wish to pursue for a job. You will want to make sure you are putting all of your effort into your studies thought because you will begin to learn that college is just like a job. It becomes unacceptable for you not to have your work done.
Even if you are shaky when you first begin attending college, don’t give up because in the end it will all be worth it. Being at college will teach you life long skills. Skills you will need in the work place and your social life. It will give you the opportunity to meet many different people and figure out who you are as a person. You will learn that the world is a big place and it has a lot to offer too many different people out there. Having a college education is a very fulfilling part of people’s lives. You can meet life long friends, business partners and many professors that you may wish to keep in contact with and even call if you find you need some help at making a decision about a new job. College has a lot to offer. Bottom-line the longer you go to school and achieve the more money you will make in your lifetime.
Kevin H
1/27/09
R&C II
Logo’s Arguments
There are so many ways that people try to get you to listen to them, and truly see what they are talking about. Many of these people use a form of an argument they sometimes do not even know they are using. These arguments are based off of the facts and the good reason that are placed before the audience. Many of these facts are questioned by the audience themselves to really see if they are actual fact or bogus. They call these arguments Logos based arguments, because they are based off of fact and reason. The hard evidence presented in logos arguments can come in many different forms such as, facts, clues, statistics, testimonies, and witnesses. There are also other forms besides the hard evidence like reason and common sense. All of these forms of evidence are presented so that the audience will believe in what the speaker or writer is trying to portray to them. These arguments as well as many others can range from extremely influential topics to simplistic. The logos based argument that I recently encountered was really not about me, but a child trying to show his parents that he wanted his own pet.
We all know at some point in our lives we had to beg our parents to let us have our own pet. The way that it is in most families is that they have to prove that owning their own pet would give them responsibility, and other aspect of becoming more grown up. To prove they are ready many children, in their early teens, tend to write page or so on facts of why they should have a pet. They try to reason with their parents to get them to see that owning a pet would not only give them incentive to become a more responsible person, but also give them something that they can have mutual respect for. The main way that kids try to get their parents attention would be through hard evidence from facts, statistics, or maybe even witnesses. What is really happening is just a simple statement that the child is making then supporting evidence on why that statement should be considered true. Not all logos based arguments are necessarily based on facts.
An approach a child could take towards showing that they want a pet of their own is to say common sense based situations. I am equally as capable as any person to take care of a pet. This falls into the category of syllogisms, which in this case is saying that everyone could own a pet. I am included in that everyone. Therefore, I should be able to have a pet. Many kids might not know this is what they are doing to their parents, but it in fact feels this way. The way that this targets your reason is being able to see what the child has to offer in factual data as well as reason and common sense. Children that I know that have done this are usually very well organized, because they want to become a pet owner like everyone one else. They have to sway their parents to reason with them and see why it should be perfectly fine to have a pet.
This situation is a very small and not so horribly life altering as some logos based arguments can be. In many cases though the parents of the children that I have know all end up getting some kind of pet whether it be a fish or a gerbil. They just have to show the reason behind their argument in such a way that the audience (parents) has good enough information to let them go ahead with it. Other more serious logos arguments are those about weapons of mass destruction over in Iraq, where Colin Powell got sources that were unreliable and thus could have saved the time of even going over there if they had caught this much earlier. This teaches you to look at the fact more carefully before you take action.
Amanda Pelletier
January 27, 2009
Homework blog # 4
Logos based argument
An argument based on facts and reason is a logos based argument. “Most of us respect appeals to logos- arguments based on facts, evidence, and reason- but, like the good doctor, we’re inclined to test the facts against our feelings and against the ethos of those making the appeal,” (79). An argument that I have encountered that was a logo based argument was in my senior year at my high school. It was just a few weeks into our senior year and we had to make a big decision as a school on where to have our senior prom. At our school we had a student council which usually spoke for the students at our school; so we didn’t have to do a survey to make every decision to do with the students at our school. I was a member of our student council and it was also going to be our last prom because I was a senior. Our prom consists of everyone in our high school 9th- 12th grade because I lived in a small town. I went to prom three years out of four. Ever since I was a 9th grader I went to prom in our school gym where we decorated the gym to the theme that we as the student council picked. My senior classmates thought it was time to do something different for prom. Have it somewhere special and nice and not at the everyday gym where we played sports and had gym class. Our student council advisor wasn’t really up for trying to find somewhere else to have prom because she just liked it being at the school. I guess it was easier for her but really in the long run it wasn’t easier for her because she had to take care of all the decorations and she had to make sure it looked nice also she had to make food. But she said that we could take a survey where all the students at our high school would vote. “Some of the most influential forms of statistics are those produced by surveys and polls,” (87). The survey was given out to the student body during lunch. They would vote and we would cross their name off the list and put their vote in the box. After the day was over we would have to count the votes and find out where our senior prom was going to be. The vote that won was the vote that we wanted to win; which was the Mountain View Grand. The Mountain View Grand was a very nice hotel. Having the Mountain View win meant that we wouldn’t have to decorate and we didn’t have to worry about food. But the tickets to get into prom would be more. Some people were mad at the outcome so we had to take a revote and less people voted a second time so the vote was the high school gym. “When they verify the popularity of an idea or proposal, surveys and polls provide persuasive appeals because, in a democracy, majority opinion offers a compelling warrant,”(87). The poll said everything the first time and it meant nothing. But really the statistics and the argument of fact and reason was that the more people voted in the first vote and the Mountain View won so that was the better place because the survey said everything. Unfortunately it didn’t matter because the second time which had less voters won. This logos based argument that I was a part of didn’t work out but if the people in charge really cared what the kids wanted they would have picked the one with the best statistics.
Logos Argument
The most recent logos argument that I have encountered is one that I am still struggling with. When I came to Husson, I had no idea what I wanted to study. I went from hospitality business major to secondary education major within just my first week. After struggling over the decision on whether or not to stay in school and continue paying for something that I am not sure about, I found something that appealed to me: ultrasound technician. When I first began considering this career, I had to look at the facts about the job. I compared the two jobs that I was interested in, secondary education and ultrasound technician. The first thing, of course, is salary. A Maine teacher’s pay is highly discouraging, especially after four years of school. In ultrasound technician, you make about the same money the first year, about $40,000. But, in the long run, you make around $72,000 after only a few years.
Although salary is a huge thing benefit, so is vacation time. In the teaching field, you work almost the same amount of time as you have off. That is a huge benefit to someone, like me, who wants to have a family of their own. Even though there is a lot of time out of the classroom involved in teaching, there is also a lot of lesson planning and homework correcting. That is something that ultrasound technician doesn’t have.
Another key point to switching career paths is the schooling, which is one of the biggest deciding factors for me at this point. Teaching is a 4-year degree, no way around it. Even though that seems like a huge investment of time for one job that I’m not even sure about, it will pay off to have a four year college degree, no matter what the major is. In ultrasound technician, you have a few different options. You can get your certificate after only a few months or you can get your associates or bachelors degree. Both of these options are appealing because in one option, you don’t have to spend a lot of time and money in school, you can just get your certificate and start making money. In the other option, you still have a general education, so if you want to change your career, you could still get a job or go back to school for a short amount of time.
The main downfall to switching to ultrasound is that I would have to transfer to a school that offered that program. I think if I were to transfer, I would have just as good of an experience as I would here, but I have become settled here and would hate to have to be uprooted from it all. However, it would give me a chance to relocate outside of Maine, which is something I have been wishing I did this year. In high school, I never really thought much about college. I only applied to the schools that I knew about, which were the ones my friends were applying to. This would give me a second chance at trying to find a place where I would really be happy.
Both of these career paths have an equal amount of benefits to them. This argument appeals to me because I’m interested in both of these careers and am trying to find out as much as I can about different careers that I may enjoy. I think that arguing out the facts makes it easier to look at the right choice. Also, researching about the different fields is a good tactic. I think this form of argument appeals to everyone who is confused about their major, which is a good percentage of college students.
A logos based argument that I have recently encountered arose when I was reading through and article about the new Chevrolet Volt. This articles main purpose was to convince the audience that this new vehicle is going to be the revolutionary change that the automobile industry direly needs. Immediately I was skeptical because so far the hybrid line of vehicles hasn’t been anywhere near what they need to be in order to completely redesign the vehicles we currently drive. Having a significant background and training the automotive field, I was picking this article apart through a mechanical and engineering state of mind. Trying to read through their appealing numbers and make actual since of what the break down of the “real” situation is.
The first way they try to appeal is by comparing their system to rest of those on the market. The author of the article summarizes the highlights to show that the system is something completely new, but not all that entirely different. The main difference is that fact that at no point is the engine ever running off of pure gasoline. When the mere forty miles, that the battery will get you runs out, an electric generator will run a motor driving turns the gasoline engine. They article then describe the new state of the art battery, trying to make it a high point in the selling market. However, after taking a closer look at some the real numbers I find that it’s not as good as they really say.
Congratulations GM, you have designed a completely electric vehicle that can drive forty miles and then need to be plugged in all night to do it again. While this is a step in the right direction, the majority of people on a daily basis are driving more than forty miles. Today’s society makes it difficult to keep everything you need from a job, to necessary items, to the places you need to go for activities, driving has become a very essential part of our lives. Obviously gasoline is a precious item that can’t keep being wasted, but driving forty miles on a single battery isn’t quite the answer I was looking for.
The article also tries to make a few details look like a positive, when they could be considered to be a downfall. For instance the author compares the usage of electricity to charge the Chevy Volt to being no higher than running your refrigerator for a that year. They also discuss the length of the battery being a “long seven years,” and make expensive parts sound like a bonus. These details try and hide the facts that a refrigerator might take a significant amount of electricity to run for a year. Then consider that seven years really isn’t all that long for a battery, especially when that battery is equal to half the price of the vehicle. Then there is the fact that just because the parts are expensive and use a lot of new technology, doesn’t necessarily guarantee that those parts are going to be reliable and work well.
Overall this article is a perfect example of a logos based argument because it is designed to use numbers and some sort of logic to try and convince the audience that this vehicle is the answer to everyone’s prayers. In this instance it did just the opposite because I was able to draw on my own logic and set of information to be able to see through the authors arguments and get the real picture. It doesn’t always work this way, but for this example the attempt to win me over through logos based argumentation lost because the numbers didn’t add up to what the article said they did.
Logos are arguments based on facts, evidence and reason. When using this you need to have as people say hard evidence that back up what you are saying. For example during court the prosecutor and defendant need to have evidence to argue or defend their clients. You can show this in many ways, providing hard evidence, use facts, statistics, surveys and polls, testimonies, narratives, interviews, reason and common sense, cultural assumptions and values, and logic.
A logos-based argument I have encountered recently in my life was arguing with my mom and dad that going away to college was the best for me. I am an independent person but I do rely on my parents for a lot. They are always there for me and give me many things that I ask for; many might say I am a very lucky person. Back home I didn’t have a job so when I went out I would ask my parents for money they would give it to me. I am a very family oriented person to, so the idea of going away to college hurt my parents because they knew I wouldn’t be around all the time like I was before and they would miss me terribly. When I told them that I was thinking of going out of state to college they said, “Oh okay Kate where are you looking, Massachusetts?” I told them, no I was actually looking at a college in Maine that had a good physical therapy program. They told me how they thought that I was going to stay close to home and maybe even go to a college in Rhode Island. They seemed kind of hurt that I was thinking about going away even though it was only five to six hours away. They asked me why I wanted to go away and why should they let me go away. I could not believe they were seriously thinking of keeping me in the state, when what I wanted was to go away. They told me that if I gave them good reason to go to this college then they would let me go away. Now I had to come up with good logical reasoning to go to a college out of state. I told them that many kids that I went to school with were going to the schools in Rhode Island and that I wanted to get away from people I knew and make new friends and go to a place where I knew no one, because I knew that when I go for a job interview that I would be put in this situation and it would be good for me to get some practice. My parents thought this was very smart of me and they were proud of me for thinking about my future. Another reason I gave them was that I wasn’t always going to be able to rely on them and I need to learn how to live on my own and not be able to run to them all the time in times of need, going away to college will help me with this. I will learn how to deal with my problems by myself and I will learn to fend for myself which will really help me in the future. I also let them know that going away to college will teach me that in order to survive in life I’m going to need money, meaning I’m going to have to get a job, college will teach me this. I’m going to want money for many things in college and I won’t be able to ask mommy and daddy for, so I know that I will need to get a job and it will motivate me to get one. Another good point that I told my parents why going away to college would be good for me, is to show them that I can take care of myself and that put in a situation that I can be responsible and maybe even grow up more than I am. I need to see the real world for myself and live in it by myself I need to prove to myself that I can live on my own and survive without my parents always by my side. I need to trust myself to be able to make good decisions. I also told them that I knew that going to this school I would get a very good education. And that I really liked the school, it fit me and my personality. When my parents heard me out and listened to all my logical reasons, and my facts they knew that they were going to have to let go there. They told me that I gave them very, very good reasons why to go away to college and that they were proud of me for sticking up for something I wanted. They told me that they can already see me growing up and that they understand my reasoning that going away to college will help me grow up even more and help me to make decisions and stick up for myself. They knew that I would do great up in Maine and really they were afraid that they couldn’t handle me being away because they love me so much and that they’re really going to miss seeing and talking to me every day.
As you can see my reasoning did work because I am now at a college that I really like and I doing well. My parents are very proud of me and know that I’m growing up. Even I can see what going away to college does; it has changed me for the better. I am more independent and I fend for myself a lot more than I did back home. I now know that there is no one looking out for you here and that you have to look out for yourself. I also know now that you are the most important person and that you have to worry about yourself first and then others. College has done a lot for me and I am liking the person I am turning into a more confident and open me and I’m showing my parents that this was a good choice for me and that what makes me happy, making them happy and just showing myself that I can do something and go anyplace I want and make myself successful.
Logo’s based Arguments
Logo’s arguments are based on facts, evidence, and reason used in our everyday lives. People use these specific arguments to make you believe in their ways or beliefs on a certain topic. They can be very influential or seem completely fake which leads us to questions the speaker or writers motives. Logo’s based arguments come in an array of different forms including, facts, clues, statistics, testimonies, witnesses, and some based on common sense (79). A logo’s based argument that I have encountered recently was arguing for a job position at babies R us with my friend.
When you go for a job interview its respectful to look appropriate and well presentable. Usually when someone interviews you they are testing your knowledge and looking at what qualities you could bring to the store, ect. I am always nervous when I go for interviews, and so I might not be myself at all times. Every question that was thrown at me I answered to the best of my ability using facts and reasons to argue why I deserved this job. I used my common sense and gave them answers that would appeal to their thoughts, and hoping that it would help me get the job. As the interview went on questions started becoming more in-depth and hard and my nerves I guess got the best of me. You can only make someone believe you so much, and I did my best to argue for my position in their company. Now it is their turn to decide whether to believe my arguments, points, claims, and reasoning.
I did all I could to persuade, and make an influence so that they would hire me. Unfortunately I wasn’t called for the job, and someone had made a better case but it taught me what I needed to work on for next time. This might be a minor logos argument compared to some other situations; weapons of mass destruction. This was a serious situation and it was important for the people telling facts to make sure they were true. As we know hard evidence was provided but it was our choice to believe. It is so important for a speaker or writer to show reason behind their argument using supporting evidence. I have grown and learned from my own logos based arguments now and from the past. Not only have I changed my ways of learning all the facts and becoming a better presenter of this evidence. That is why it is important for you to look and analyze all the facts before you act upon them.
A Logos based argument I had recently was whether or not me and my roommate should rearrange our dorm room. My roommate and I came to our room in August, and how we came to it was the way we left it at the time. It was a stock room with the basic setup. We didn’t do anything fancy we just made our beds, threw things everywhere around the room and tried to makes things fit. This is the way the room stayed the first semester.
Needless to say our room was a pigpen and just about as much like a real room at our original homes as we could have had. Really though it wasn’t cool, and we needed to figure something out because we honestly haven’t seen anybody else’s room that was as messy and unorganized as ours. There was just no room to do, put, move anything.
Then I came up with the bright idea that we needed to do something about this disasters room. There was defiantly good logic, reasoning, and facts to my statement. Our room just simply wasn’t going to cut it another semester we couldn’t find space to organize anything. I brought up the simple idea that we need to bunk our beds and that will open up a whole side of the room where we can throw anything we want.
The idea of bunking beds with the return of gaining more room was a simple fact. The argument came with who’s going to be on top? What are we going to fill the empty space with? But even that was simple because we just started looking at the facts of how can we make this most organized. I liked my chances though in the argument because I knew the room would greatly benefit, we just had to do the process though.
The room though probably never would have got rearranged though if I didn’t use the logic behind my reasoning. It was simple facts and common sense that we needed more room and that was the best way to obtain it. Since it was my idea and I wanted more space I offered to sleep on top bunk which really helped me persuade what I was trying to argue.
The best way to bring out a proposal to get what your intentions are is clearly Logos. Nothing supports an argument better then with facts. The arguments that people persuade using logos very easily can effect their emotions as well. That makes arguments using facts that much more powerful and I see and use them in a lot of ways without noticing till now. These arguments are used in my everyday comprehensions of how I see and do them and the effect they play.
Blog entry
I would have to say as individual logos based argument that I have encountered in my life would be wither I should move to Philadelphia and leave Connecticut. And this argument was with my family and it seemed that al the supporting facts were on their side and it didn’t even matter what I said. Because my father had received a better job in the area but it was a choice that I was put in because it was my senior year of high school and I could have stayed their and let my family move on. The things that my father presented to me as reasons were so strong that there was no way that could have seen any wrong in what he said. Because in Connecticut we lives in one of if not the worst part of that so called “richest state”. their was not a night where u didn’t hear a gun shot and it got to the point that we as a family just got used to is an we became cold hearted to that sound. Many people would come to visit us and ask “O my gosh how could u live here it’s so dangerous” and all I can say is no it’s not its just life. And as a person I became so attached to this areas it’s like when my father presented the family with the choice I was like the only one who wanted to stay in the city. But I soon found that I wasn’t the only who felt this way my mother came to the realization that she couldn’t just up and move either because her as a sick woman she cold not just leave al her doctors that have taken care of her for so many years and that since her father has passed away she would not what to leave her mother here. But at the same time m father presented the same argument but he flipped it on her by saying that he was doing the same thing but he was wiling to leave his mother for a better life for is family. Then it was a problem of my little sister because she had just started school and she had made so many friends that it would be the hardest on her just for us to up and leave. But again with that same argument u can flip it because she is such a little person that it just might not even have that much of an impact on her. Then again it is a better way of life no more life with gun fire it is a place where we as a family don’t have to be worried about being outside our own house. But what was being said it didn’t matter I felt as if they we’re just telling me to leave all of my friends tat I have made over 17 years but its like there is no way that I can put any input on it because I am not the one who will be paying the bills.
Reed Montgomery
logos based
What does logos mean? This question ran through my mind when I first saw it. Logos is the word we use for arguments based on evidence, reason, and facts. Many other arguments may be based on things like feelings, opinions, and common sense, but not logos. Some things the book tells us logos includes are facts, clues, statistics, witnesses, and testimonies. None of these examples deal with a feeling or emotion, that’s why it is categorized under logos and not ethos.
Is logos even that important? Yes, logos is what is used for things like laws and most rules, that way the rules and laws stay fair for everyone. If laws and rules were based on opinion and emotion everything would be chaos, it would be all about who you knew and what you thought or knew you could get away with. For some things it is necessary that emotion and feeling aren’t involved and fact should almost always be put above opinion. One way to get facts or statistics is through surveys and polls. Surveys and polls allow us to measure facts about people and these facts are a big part of society and politics. Even though some things may seem to be logical, logic can’t apply to every situation.
Overall, logos is the word we use for arguments based on evidence, reason, and facts. Logos is, and always will be, used. Everything can’t be based solely on emotion; some things need fact and logic. Logos includes facts, clues, statistics, witnesses, and testimonies and a great way to gather these is through surveys and polls.
Logos, reason based arguments. It took me a while to think of some reason based argument that I have encountered in recent times. People try to make there cases with this logos, make you support there opinion by giving solid facts or reason.
Seeing how the election was only a few months ago I might as well stay us that. Each presidential ad campaigns use logos. I found myself listening to these ads, so and so passed on ninety-five percent of there votes, do you want to president who has only voted five percent of the time on important issues to you. They take any statistic from candidates voting records and can turn it into a good thing or a bad thing. I’m sure you have seen the stats on the approval rating for Mr. Bush, the lost approval rating any president, ever. Not such a good statistic, anything they can make a statistic with they will use in a logos based argument to make a candidates look better or worse. Logos also can involve some logic or common sense. These arguments usually appeal to my reason, but I can never be to sure if the stat they are showing or telling, are spun in a bad way or a good way. Every statistic can be praised or made to look bad. Generally some poll numbers make me appeal to me because they are facts and facts don’t lie.
Recently I had to decide if it was a good Idea to drive in that last major winter storm. My common sense told me that when there is ten inches of snow on the ground you don’t try and drive. To even get to the road I needed to get my truck unstuck two times. I defiantly wasn’t a logical decision to try and drive in one of the worst storms of the year, but the appeal to my reason didn’t work. It didn’t work because some time you have to do things that don’t show you have great common sense. I decided that driving wasn’t that dangerous. Once I got to the road and started to drive to my mothers to shovel out her driveway and walkway so when she got home from work she didn’t have to, I realized that is was an every bad idea. The roads on the west side of town hadn’t been plowed yet and getting a two wheel dive truck up even that slightest incline wasn’t fun. So some times even though your common sense tells you not to do something, you do it anyway. From that two hour trip across Bangor I learned to listen to my common sense and to look at the evidence a lot closer before acting.
Some times logos are very useful if you know the source that the facts are coming from, when you have a creditable source you are more likely to believe the facts and evidence being presented to you. Some times you come across sources that are un-creditable that’s when you need to learn the difference. Check the sources of the information people are giving you. There is a good chance that what is being passed on to you is incorrect information, and making life altering decisions based off incorrect information is never a wise move. As we have learned with the war in Iraq. Make sure that the facts, testimonies, and statistics you are presented with are accurate before changing your position any situation.
Andrew Wheeler
Prof. Adam Crowley
EH 124
28 January, 2009
Arguments Based on Facts and Reason – Logos
Logos arguments are arguments based on facts, evidence and reason based on our own feelings and knowledge upon a subject. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about a logos argument that I have encountered, the most recent one would have to be whether or not I can stay in school or not until I graduate. I think about it nearly every summer, right before I am getting ready to come back to school. I don’t think about this because I don’t want to get a college education, but just because I don’t want to be in debt up to my shoulders when I finally graduate.
I also have this argument with my parents because I am an independent person. In the summer, I work to support myself, although I still live with my parents. I pay for everything I need, including food, clothes, gas, and several other things. My parents sometime believe that I should take off maybe a semester, or a year, but they feel just as strong for me staying in school, getting my four years done, and find a quality job that will help me support a family. College is not that big of a deal for me though, because I am used to having to do things for myself; almost everything besides doing my own laundry. I don’t have an issue with waking up in the morning, or making sure my homework is done. The only issue I have is that I wish I was exploring the world more, and seeing what is out there. My reason for this is because I do not like being held, or tied down to only one thing. A few years down the road, I don’t want to be the type of person that is caught saying, “I wish I would’ve done more with my life when I was a teenager.”
Another reason why deciding to go to college is a recent logos based argument I have encountered lately is because I am the first person to go to college out of both of my parents. That is why they feel equally strong whether or not I decide to go to college for my four years or not. My mother knows first hand how tough it can be for someone to be tied down while you’re growing up and would rather explore the world to see what is out there. She went to college and completed three years until she decided that she wanted to explore, and try to find different opportunities that could possibly arrive. Sure enough, a few years down the road, she found a good job and is now a proud parent of two kids, or at least I think she’s proud.
Even though I will more than likely use the “common sense” appeal, which Aristotle presented as a logical reason when dealing with a logos based argument when I decide to stay in college and finish my four years so I can have it a lot easier when I get out of school. This article was a great help and a great help of support to help me figure out things I want to do in the future. It helped me because I could read it, and relate some of the situations that were presented and were based on different sorts of arguments that a “normal” person would encounter every day.
Everything is an argument. Before I started reading this book I knew a lot around me was based on arguments. It was not clear to me how everything really was an argument, the only thing I really considered an argument was something that had details or statistics to back it up. After reading the section on Arguments based on Facts and Reason- Logos, I came to the realization that this was only a very small part of the arguments we wrap our selves into to. These types of arguments are all based strictly on something that can be used to prove something else. Feelings are a very small part of the argument when usually they are everything.
An argument that I recently found myself involved in with this subject was arguing with my uncle about my upcoming insurance renewal. In February my issues needs to re-claim itself because I have had my own insurance for a year. This summer I found myself in a not so good situation that will effect the new insurance claim. In July at about eleven at night I was pulled over for doing 74 in a 55. I wish the speeding ticket was the least of my worries. When the officer asked me, “what is in the cooler?” I said,”Nothing” he said ,”what was in the cooler?’ I said once again ,”nothing” at this time he opened my door and said ,”come on man?” he made me feel that if I told him what was in the cooler he would just let me go with the speeding ticket. I said ,”eight bud lights” he went on to take the beer out of the back of my vehicle and made me sit for about an hour. He came back to my vehicle about an hour later with a court date and a speeding ticket.
When I was having a conversation recently with my uncle, I was angered by the fact I was going to have to be punished by this all year. When my insurance re-claims it will go up three hundred dollars for each traffic violation and another three hundred because I got a C last semester. So my argument is why do I have to pay one hundred and seventy-five dollars a month instead of seventy-five when I haven’t cost them any money. Over the last two years I’ve had my liscense I have probably given them over three grand and now I have to pay more because of the statistics. If someone speeds they have to be putting them selves in danger? They can’t be speeding responsibly, if that’s ethically possible? I had beer in my vehicle. I was not drinking and driving, but since I had it in my vehicle I must be immature? Arguably that is a very immature thing to do but that doesn’t directly correspond to me possibly costing my insurance company any money. Statistics are Statistics and you don’t stand a chance against them usually.
Sherry Cooper
Logos arguments
Logos arguments are probably the most widely used arguments, especially when the person making the argument, is stating his case to a large audience as opposed to one on one argument. However, if you are making an argument based on facts and reasons, make sure that all of the facts that you are using are 100% accurate and open to the public. However, as the article pointed out, the facts, while remaining the same, can be twisted in order to suit a person’s view point. Other examples showed something as simple as rephrasing a question by changing a few key words can also have a huge impact on the answer. One logos argument that I came across recently was when my little sister was trying to get me to take her and a few of her friends shopping for another friends birthday. When I asked why I had to take the whole lot of them with us, she pointed out that she wanted to get the best present possible for this friend of hers and in order to do this she needed the helpful hints and suggestions from the rest of her friends. Why couldn’t she just call and get there opinion? Because they couldn’t possibly have a good opinion if they could not see it for themselves. And what if she couldn’t afford the gift by herself? All of these added up to a pretty decent argument in her book and I decided to take them. However, she left out the part that I would have to drive all over creation to get said friends then walk or drive them to every possibly store in Bangor, feed some of them (they forgot their money at home), and then proceed to drive them all back home again. I voted to let them walk but my sister stated that it was freezing cold outside and their parents would not be very happy with me. Again all very good arguments. The point is that despite what the facts may seem, when deciding on a logos based argument, do not forget to consider your source and make sure that you have all of the details.
A logos based argument I have recently come across is global warming. Every article, every video I see on the subject of global warming is different. Some scientist’s say it is they ‘cycle’ of earth, others say by 2020 the earth will be dramatically different. This is a perfect example of a logos based argument because every story uses different statistics, some which are questionable to if they are relevant to global warming or not.
It is now more fact that global warming is occurring but the question is how fast it is happening. Is it even possible to tell something like this or are scientists just guessing on when our earth will be no more. It is very hard to tell when we will see the server effects of global warming if in our life time. It seems like every week there is a new article or story out about how there is new ‘proof’ of global warming. The most recent example I can think of this is the article that Antarctica is melting. The article claims that Antarctica is melting more and more rapidly and eventually there will be no more glaciers in Antarctica.
The argument in the subject of global warming is not if it is happening, but what the world should do to solve it if anything. Is it more important than war? War will come to an end over time, global warming will destroy us if we give it time. Most scientists agree something needs to be done, and we are doing some stuff to help in the United States, but not enough is it time that the government gets involved and passes laws forcing people to be ‘greener’? This is what the logos argument is, the author’s use the statistics they write about to convince Americans they need to do something.
This appeal works on the majority of people, no one wants to see our world come to an end for future generations. How can a country worry about war, at a time when we know we are destroying our planet? This is very effective and makes people think about the matter. Global warming can be reversed, it will cost a lot of money and it seems like our government doesn’t want to contribute to this issue, but would rather spend our money on guns, missiles, and training for our soldiers.
When this subject (global warming) first came out I did not believe it was real, maybe because I didn’t want to believe our world would ever come to an end. I think the people that don’t believe in global warming it is because they don’t want to believe that everything we have accomplished as a world will someday be wiped out. That is the point of all the media attention given to global warming. When people see the astonishing numbers about how fast our planet is melting they cannot ignore it. The only problem with this logos based argument is how they can predict future numbers. For example, how can scientists say that our world will be gone in 50 years, when there are so many things that can/may happen within this time span? People may realize it’s time to stop global warming, causing it to reverse itself. This issue is a perfect example of a logos based argument because it is based only on statistics and measurements.
Logos based aguments are based on evidence and facts. You have facts on a certine subject and evidence to back up these facts this can prove that you know what you are taking about and who is right.
I have some personal experience in these type of argument at the begging of last semester the first semester of my college career. I was arguing with my mom and my dad about weather I should go to school for sports management or for criminal justices and weather I want to go to Plymouth state or to Husson college. We argued what would be better for me and what I would like to do for the rest of my life. I made the argument that even though criminal justice doesn’t make as much money at first but it has potential to make good money in the long run and it is what I want to do for the rest of my life. This argument is the reason why I am here studding criminal justice.
Other arguments that make decisions like this are to choose the next president or the best course to take in college and what will be best for a town in a local election. These are some of the different ways to have arguments to make decisions.
When you are tested on a argument if you have the facts and evidence to back up what you are arguing about you have more of a chance to win the arguiment.
A logos argument is based on facts and proof. Aristotle, a philosopher, broke this down even farther by dividing “proofs based on facts and reason into two kinds:” hard evidence, which is “facts, clues, statistics, testimonies, and witnesses, and those based upon reason and common sense” (79). Because logos arguments are based on logic, one would most likely find the use of formal logic in an argument coming from a mathematician, philosopher, or perhaps government. Therefore, probably the most common logos-based argument that could occur in everyday life is supported by reason and common sense. “Consciously or not, people are constantly stating claims, drawing conclusions, and making and questioning assumptions whenever they read or write” (93).
A recent example of a logos-based argument I have experienced was with my mom involving the recent birth of the octuplets in California. My mom was describing the article to me she had read online about the octuplets, such as how they were born nine weeks early and the petite size they were after the caesarean section. The octuplets are the second set of babies born known that have lived after birth. Despite her knowledge of the article she was confused about one minor detail. She was convinced that they knew the mother was going to have eight babies. However, once I told her that they found the eighth baby during the birth, she argued that I was wrong. In order to prove to her that she was wrong and I was right, I searched the internet for information about the article.
Just as I had suspected, I was right that the doctors did not find the eighth baby until the caesarean section. According to the article, there were several ultrasounds and the eighth baby was not seen because of the limited space available in the womb. Therefore, it could not have been seen before the birth. It felt great to provide factual information to prove my mother wrong. This is an example of a logos-based argument because I provided actual proof in order to win an argument. Because my mother was misinformed about the birth of the octuplets, I searched for the truth and presented her with the facts so she would know the truth. In a logos-based argument, the writer provides facts, statistics, or proof in order to prove a point.
Homework- Logos
A logos argument is any type of argument created from a fact. Whether the argument is presented with numbers, graphs, charts, statistics, or if the argument is using the facts summarized, it is all based on facts. It is hard for someone to ignore facts, and even the most stubborn person cannot argue facts. I find that logos arguments are the most persuasive with me. While flipping through my fitness magazine that I get in the mail every month, I came across an advertisement that I remember well. I remember this because the information that the ad provided was based on fact, and made their product seem the best option. The ad held my interest and made me realize something about their product that was overwhelmingly compelling. The advertisement was for Burt’s Bees lip balm. The headline of the article read: “how do you get all the moisture without the muck?” following that statement was a clear chart of facts, and a little bias towards their product of course. The chart compared bee’s wax, which is what their lip balm’s main ingredient, with petrolatum, which is the main ingredient in other chap sticks. The chart lists the reasons why Burt’s Bees beeswax is so great, natural, moisturizing, has pomegranate oil. Then it states some of the reasons why petrolatum is so bad, this is where logos comes into play. The list says that petrolatum is a non-renewable hydrocarbon, made from crude oil, that it is greasy and could contain contaminants, and it is sometimes used to stop corrosion on car batteries. After the list the ad follows with the question “have you read you lip balm label lately?” The type of argument that Burt’s Bees is creating is a logos argument. They use facts about the other lip balms that contain a different ingredient than theirs. By stating the facts, they create a very convincing argument that people cannot argue, and at least will find interesting. This argument was definitely effective in convincing me. Now I think to myself, do I really want to put something on my lips that is used to stop car battery corrosion? Not really. This argument is also somewhat playing on fear, however it is dear that was created by facts, still making this a logos argument. When they say that the petrolatum chap stick could “contain contaminants”, I think to myself, well what kind? What’s going to contaminate me? That doesn’t sound like something I want to put on my lips. After seeing the advertisement it makes me wonder if there are any other beauty or health related products that use ingredients that have other strange usages. I know that for a while and some companies did, still do put formaldehyde in their nail polishes. Formaldehyde is known as a common substance to preserve dead animals or bodies. This would make a very convincing argument for someone who was trying to sell his or her formaldehyde free nail polish. Who wants to paint their nails with the same substance that’s used to preserve dead bodies or animals?
Logos Argument
A logos type of argument is an argument that is based on facts and reason. It’s a way that authors try to persuade their audience in order to get them to believe and understand what they are saying. Using facts makes it hard to argument because you can’t prove it wrong. “As the Stevenson/Powell examples suggest, people today usually prefer arguments based on facts and testimony to those grounded in reason.”(81)
A good example of a logos argument that I had with a friend was about secondhand smoking. There are some people out there, like smokers for example who don’t think that second hand smoking can hurt a person. Smokers don’t realize that secondhand smoking is just as bad as smoking itself. My grandma used to be a smoker and I hated being around it because of the smell. Another thing bad about it is it made your clothes smell and everything else including your home. Smoke is one smell that you can’t get rid of with just air freshener. My friend who I had an argument with was a smoker. We were in the car heading to the mall when she was lighting one up and our argument started. I told her that smoking is bad for you and it will hurt you in the long run. She’s was like whatever, I enjoy it and it calms me when I’m having a bad day. I went on to say what about the people who are affected by it when you smoke. How all that smoke goes into their lungs and they aren’t even the ones smoking. It’s even worse for children who can’t even speak to say that the smoke hurts them too. Plus children of smokers who are exposed to secondhand are more likely to start smoking when they get older.
Using logos in an argument helps the audience believe in what you are saying. It proves to them that the writer knows what it is they are talking about. Adding hard facts to back up your argument makes an argument that much better because the writer is proving to his audience he knows what he is saying. The writer not only has reason to his argument but also factual evidence.
Lunsford, Andrea. Ruszkiewicz John. Walters, Keith. Everything’s and argument.
2007.
CBW
Logos Argument
An argument with logos is based on facts, reason, and evidence to support a claim. A Greek philosopher (Aristotle) derived these two different types of proof for an argument based on facts and reason into two sorts: hard evidence (facts, clues, testimonies, etc.) and reason with common sense (what Aristotle called “artistic appeals”).
One argument I have encountered recently involving “logos” is the debate I have been having with myself over whether to transfer to a different school next year (most likely the University of Vermont). There are plenty of facts and logical reasoning’s as of why I want to transfer to that particular school.
As far as things like facts and statistics go, I’d like to go to UVM because there are a lot more students enrolled there compared to Husson, along with their larger campus (roughly 25,000 students compared to 2,500). I feel also as if I can have just a more fun and get more out of a school like Vermont because everything is better over there (sports teams, skiing, academics, and concerts and so on).
The downside to this situation is that I have already made a lot of friends here and met a lot of people. I’m also on the lacrosse team here and I’d probably never be able to make the team at a huge school like UVM, so I’d be leaving that. I’d also be living a lot farther away from my family because they live just over an hour away from here. It is a lot more expensive to attend there too.
Another thing that I’d be leaving would be the possibility to pledge to a fraternity which consists of a lot of my friends, and which I originally promised to join at some point here at Husson. I wouldn’t even be able to pledge in Vermont because fraternities are banned from the state.
One thing that I have to do to though first is make sure that I am accepted there at UVM, and then I can finalize my decision to transfer. To get accepted, I have to first make sure that I finish the semester here as strong as I can, and wait to see if I can get enough money and financial aid to be able to attend.
In this precedent argument comparing these two schools, and the facts with logic between making a decision, I’d rather be at UVM because I’d gain more than I would lose.
People have to make this kind of decision everyday and have these types of arguments using logos, trying to make the decisions that make the most sense out of supporting facts, evidence and reasoning, whether it is what type of college they want to attend, whether to hire someone based on their credentials, or whether the judge decides the victim is guilty based on evidence and facts.
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