What are the benefits and drawbacks of using ethos in a debate?

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Ethos is one of the three modes of persuasion that Aristotle identified in his treatise on rhetoric, along with logos and pathos. Ethos refers to the credibility, character, and authority of the speaker or writer, and how they appeal to the audience's sense of trust and respect. In a debate, using ethos can be a powerful way to establish your position, win over your opponents, and persuade your listeners. However, ethos also has some limitations and risks that you need to be aware of and avoid. In this article, we will explore the benefits and drawbacks of using ethos in a debate, and offer some tips on how to use it effectively.

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1 Why use ethos?

Ethos is essential for any debater, because it helps you create a rapport with your audience and show them that you are qualified, knowledgeable, and honest. By using ethos, you can demonstrate that you have done your research, that you have relevant experience or expertise, and that you have a clear and consistent point of view. Ethos can also help you counter any attacks on your character or credibility from your opponents, and show that you are respectful and fair to them. Ethos can make your arguments more convincing and memorable, because people tend to believe and remember those who they trust and admire.

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2 How to use ethos?

There are many ways to use ethos in a debate, but here are some general guidelines to follow. First, you need to establish your ethos at the beginning of your speech, by introducing yourself, stating your credentials, and explaining your purpose and stance. Second, you need to maintain your ethos throughout your speech, by using reliable sources, citing evidence, and acknowledging opposing views. Third, you need to enhance your ethos by using appropriate language, tone, and style, by showing confidence and enthusiasm, and by addressing the audience directly and respectfully. Fourth, you need to avoid any mistakes or fallacies that could damage your ethos, such as lying, exaggerating, contradicting yourself, or insulting your opponents.

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Zola Valashiya

Certified AI Governance Professional (AIGP) | LL.M Innovation & Technology Law | LL.M Sustainable International Development | Healthcare Law | Fintech | LLMOps
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A Mild Critique: Ethos is still subject to bias. Bias can undermine ethos, where someone may indeed be an authority or professional in a field, but still fail to establish credibility because of their accent, cultural background, or lack of affiliation with a particular institution (eg: an Ivy-league school). A speaker from a reputable institution and from a certain background could establish credibility over a professional from an unknown institution from a different background, even if they make identical points. Who you’re speaking to matters! Social and cultural privilege can play a significant role in how a speaker's ethos is perceived by different audiences - an aspect rather underemphasized in Aristotle's conceptualization of ethos.

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3 What are the benefits of ethos?

Using ethos in a debate can have many benefits for your performance and outcome, such as increasing your credibility, building rapport with the audience, differentiating you from your opponents, and boosting your confidence. Having a strong ethos can make your arguments more persuasive and appealing, make the audience more attentive and receptive to your message, help you stand out and gain an edge in the debate, and improve your delivery and communication skills.

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Abe Arafat

AI @ McGill & Mila | Strategy @ EY-Parthenon
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Audiences tend to lend more weight to the arguments and opinions of those they perceive to be experts in the subject matter at hand.

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Dr Zack Hassan

Helping people debate intelligently | Podcaster | YouTuber | Junior Doctor
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This capitalises on the cognitive bias of authority bias. People are more likely to trust someone they think is an expert purely because they don't have the time or energy to check everything for themselves. But give the audience a reason to doubt your authority and you'll be much more closely scrutinised!

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Vanessa BIRMAN

?? Coaching Développement de Leadership Carrière & Business| 60 jours pour reprendre les rênes de votre vie pro & perso, sans sacrifier votre bien-être!| ??H?tesse du Learning Talk lives & podcast| Storyteller
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L'utilisation mesurée de l'éthique dans un débat peut en garantir la bonne structure et faciliter la compréhension du discours. Elle permet aussi que vous imposiez votre style et vos idées en tant qu'orateur. Vous posez ainsi les bases de votre marque de leader et vous distinguez de vos adversaires et pairs.

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4 What are the drawbacks of ethos?

Using ethos in a debate can also have some drawbacks that you need to be aware of and take steps to avoid. Your opponents may challenge your credibility, expose your weaknesses, or accuse you of bias or dishonesty. Overusing or misusing ethos can make you seem arrogant, condescending, or manipulative to the audience. Additionally, relying on ethos too heavily can cause you to lose focus and fail to address the main issues of the debate. Lastly, using ethos may backfire and lead to criticism or backlash from the audience or others.

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Dr Zack Hassan

Helping people debate intelligently | Podcaster | YouTuber | Junior Doctor
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Good debaters should expect challenges to their credibility, and be prepared to challenge the credibility of their opponents. Yes, in an ideal world you'd attack only the arguments. But in real life, looking more credible than the other side should be one of your highest priorities.

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Vanessa BIRMAN

?? Coaching Développement de Leadership Carrière & Business| 60 jours pour reprendre les rênes de votre vie pro & perso, sans sacrifier votre bien-être!| ??H?tesse du Learning Talk lives & podcast| Storyteller
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L'excès d'ethos peut avoir un effet contre-productif. Une mythique scène du film Will Hunting (1997) le démontre. Qui trop affiche de l'assurance démonce son manque d'estime de soi. De même pour l'excès de logos, qui trop étale son savoir dénonce son absence de connaissance... L'excès d'ethos et/ou de logos donne un caractère antipathique et froid. Le fait est que le déclaratif ne suffit pas à asseoir sa crédibilité.

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5 How to balance ethos with logos and pathos?

Ethos is not the only mode of persuasion that you need to use in a debate. You also need to use logos and pathos, which are the appeals to logic and emotion respectively. Logos involves using facts, statistics, examples, and reasoning to support your arguments and claims. Pathos involves using stories, anecdotes, metaphors, and emotions to connect with your audience and influence their feelings and values. You need to balance ethos with logos and pathos, because they complement and reinforce each other. A good debater knows how to use all three modes of persuasion effectively, depending on the topic, the audience, and the situation. A good debater also knows how to adapt and adjust their use of ethos, logos, and pathos, depending on the feedback and reactions of their opponents and listeners.

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Vanessa BIRMAN

?? Coaching Développement de Leadership Carrière & Business| 60 jours pour reprendre les rênes de votre vie pro & perso, sans sacrifier votre bien-être!| ??H?tesse du Learning Talk lives & podcast| Storyteller
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Un bon débateur embarque avec le pathos, rassure avec le logos et conforte avec l'ethos! En effet, il a une influence naturelle et un talent en communication qui lui permettent d'alterner efficacement les trois modes de persuasion en s'adaptant aux sujet, public et situation. Il a une intelligence des situations et une capacité à rebondir qui lui permettent de s'adapter aux commentaires et réactions de ses adversaires et auditeurs. Un bon débateur est pleinement ancré dans l'instant présent corps, coeur et esprit!

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Fathima SagarBasha

Technology leader | AWS Certified in ML Specialty | UCLA | Wharton CTO Program| FinTech | Advertising | Appstore
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The "Ethos" dilemma Sometimes, an idealogy or a belief that one had few years back could change (could be situation changed or new facts came into light) - would this be considered a conflict in "Ethos" ?

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What are the benefits and drawbacks of using ethos in a debate?

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1 Why use ethos?

2 How to use ethos?

3 What are the benefits of ethos?

4 What are the drawbacks of ethos?

5 How to balance ethos with logos and pathos?

6 Here’s what else to consider

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