Ethos: Difference between revisions

 

'''Ethos''' is a Greek word meaning "character" that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology. The Greeks also used this word to refer to the power of music to influence its hearer's emotions, behaviors, and even morals. Early Greek stories of [[Orpheus]] exhibit this idea in a compelling way. The word's use in [[rhetoric]] is closely based on the Greek terminology used by [[Aristotle]] in his concept of the three artistic proofs.

In [[rhetoric]], ethos is one of the three artistic proofs or modes of persuasion (other principles being ''logos'' and ''[[pathos]]'') discussed by [[Aristotle]] in '[[Rhetoric (Aristotle)|Rhetoric]]' as a component of argument. Speakers must establish ethos from the start. This can involve "moral competence" only; Aristotle however broadens the concept to include expertise and knowledge. Ethos is limited, in his view, by what the speaker says. Others however contend that a speaker's ethos extends to and is shaped by the overall moral character and history of the speaker—that is, what people think of his or her character before the speech is even begun. While its meaning and application within literature might differ over time, the classical interpretation persists.

 

 

[[Category:Ethos]]