Logos

The logos of an argument are a logical appeal as opposed to the emotional appeal. In order to achieve logos one must some kind of factual proof or reason to support a statement or claim. Facts are a solid support for any argument when they come from a reliable and consistent source. For example, facts found in a scientific journal are more reliable and therefore better support for an argument than information found in the National Inquirer.

Using statistic is another way to appeal to logos. The use of numbers and percentages really help readers to visualize the point that the author is trying to get across. The weakness to statistics is that opposing arguments can present the same statistic in a different way that supports their claims.

Facts based on personal experience and testimonies are also useful to include in an argument. There are some arguments that may call for someone to recall the events in situation; in this case facts based on personal experience become very important. This approach can be weak because people have a tendency to perceive different situations differently. This is why the facts presented by someone’s personal experience are stronger if they are backed up by someone else’s experience or a different form of logos.