ethos, logos and pathos are the three forms of rhetoric that Aristotle identified:
The Art of Rhetoric:According to Aristotle, rhetoric is "the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion." He described three main forms of rhetoric: Ethos, Logos, and Pathos.
Ethos - Ethos is appeal based on the character of the speaker. An ethos-driven document relies on the reputation of the author.
Well, that form of rhetoric is difficult to sustain for Red State in that the charges against Domenech go right to his integrity as a writer (not as a friend, though his willingness to hang his friends out to dry like this speaks of serious shortcomings there as well.)
Logos: Logos is appeal based on logic or reason.
Trevino took a stab at it in this diary:
The idea that parents might be qualified -- and indeed, have a duty -- to educate their children was once a commonplace, and indeed the norm. The advent of public schooling and especially its extension to rural areas sent home education into steep decline. In an era of high expectations and rigorous discipline, this was often for the best, and the results were either improvements upon or equivalent to the products of home-based education. For all this, the reemergence of homeschooling in the modern era was not at first a right-wing phenomenon spurred by parents yearning for an age of standards and classical education. It was a leftist movement born of a Rousseauiste concept of the child, and a desire to free that child from the strictures of bureaucracy and norms. The 1970s pioneer of this resurgence, John Holt, cannot be described as anything but a left-wing believer. Only later did American traditionalists -- Christians, conservatives, and cultural contrarians alike -- realize that this leftist educational fad could serve their own ends. Homeschoolers both left and right collaborated -- and still do -- on methods and defenses of homeschooling.
And let's be honest, the Left Blog's attack on Domenech's home schooled background was ridiculous, even contemptible. But the problem of course is that the Right Blogs attack in this fashion ALL THE TIME! Indeed, Trevino spent 250 words in ad hominem attack on the "Left" PRIOR to making his reasoned argument on home schooling. Yes, it would be nice if people did not do that. But they do. And it is just as ridiculous to forget what YOUR SIDE has done on this score, even the VERY PERSON YOU ARE DEFENDING, and then criticize his critics for doing the same thing.
Two wrongs don't make a right one of Domenech's friends wrote here the other day. I replied that's nice but you would have a lot more standing on this if you had written about your friend's abuses FIRST!
About Trevino and Krempasky, last night in Red Dan's diary, I commented:
I think they are currently acting against their own best interests and find Domenech's refusal to step up a betrayal of his friendship to them.Relativism afflicts us all. We are always more forgiving of ours than theirs.
The bulk of the Red State defense of Domenech has been pathos:
Pathos -Pathos is appeal based on emotion.I'll look at that on the flip.
Ben Domenech deserves our full advocacy and defense. He has done nothing wrong and does not deserve urban legends about his wrong doing solely because of the lies of those who are jealous of his success. Should the other side win, they will be emboldened. And should they win, one of our own who has done no wrong will be immeasurable hurt by the hate, lies, and jealousy of those who would just as easily do it to you or me.We must defend Ben.
Here is its corollary:
The critics of Ben Domenech are on a fishing expedition. . . . "Plagiarism" is only the sixth or seventh line of attack they've tried in their campaign to assassinate the character of a good and decent person.When they invoked the man's family, when they resorted to an unremitting torrent of smears and lies and invective, they lost their right to be respected in this argument. [Funny, that is what the Left says about Domenech. In a way, both are right.] Their accusations no longer carry any weight. Because Ben Domenech is no longer the issue. They are.
He wishes it were so and wants to make it so. Pathos indeed.
Finally, here is the punch line:
There was a day not so long ago that a man was asked to stand up and explain his actions. In fact, given an opportunity to talk with others so that erroneous conclusions were not made.
It has now been 24 hours since this plagiarism scandal has blown up. Not ONE word has been written by the man accused - Domenech. Domenech has NOT stood up. He has NOT explained his actions. He has a blog called Red America. He has had ALL the opportunity in the world to explain.
Instead he has hung his friends out to dry, apparently hoping for a miracle. He will be resigning on Monday, we all know this.
The fact is the man, a 24 year old man, Domenech, seems to have more loyal friends than he deserves. He is not worthy of such pathos.
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