Definition:
In classical rhetoric, the means of persuasion by demonstration of logical proof, real or apparent. Plural: logoi. See also:
Etymology:
From the Greek, "speech, word, reason"Observations:
- "The logos of sixth- and fifth-century [BC] thinkers is best understood as a rationalistic rival to traditional mythos--the religious worldview preserved in epic poetry. . . . The poetry of the time performed the functions now assigned to a variety of educational practices: religious instruction, moral training, history texts, and reference manuals (Havelock 1983, 80). . . . Because the vast majority of the population did not read regularly, poetry was preserved communication that served as Greek culture's preserved memory."
(Edward Schiappa, The Beginnings of Rhetorical Theory in Classical Greece, Yale Univ. Press, 1999) - "Aristotle's third element of proof was logos, or logical proof. . . . Like Plato, his teacher, Aristotle would have preferred that speakers use correct reasoning, but Aristotle's approach to life was more pragmatic than Plato's, and he wisely observed that skilled speakers could persuade by appealing to proofs that seemed true."
(Halford Ryan, Classical Communication for the Contemporary Communicator, Mayfield, 1992) - "The appeals to reason that an orator might use do not violate the principles of strict logic; they are merely adaptations of logic. So, whereas the syllogism and induction are the forms that reasoning takes in logic, the enthymeme and the example are the forms that reasoning takes in rhetoric."
(Edward P.J. Corbett and Robert J. Connors, Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student, Oxford Univ. Press, 1999) - "Bad reasoning as well as good reasoning is possible; and this fact is the foundation of the practical side of logic."
(Charles S. Peirce)
Pronunciation: LO-gos
Also Known As: logical argument, logical proof, rational appeal
