Emotional versus logical 1 pptx

1. Using a cell phone when driving is danger￾ous and anyone who does this is stupid.

2. Using a cell phone when driving is dan￾gerous because when drivers hold a cell

phone to their ear, they’re only using

one hand to control their motor vehicle,

which makes them much more likely to

have an accident.

3. Many states have banned cell phone use

when driving because it is dangerous.

These laws have been put into effect

because of startling statistics that point

to the elevated risk of car accidents due

to cell phone use.

4. Dogs should always be kept on a leash in

public places. What if you were walking

down the street minding your own busi￾ness and a loose dog ran up and

attacked you?

5. Dogs should always be kept on a leash in

public places. A leash can protect dogs

from traffic, garbage, dangerous places,

and getting lost. It can also protect peo￾ple from being harmed by overzealous,

angry, or agitated dogs.

Answers

It should be clear that argument 1 is an appeal to emo￾tion without any logic and that arguments 2, 3, and 5

use common sense, evidence, and reason. But argu￾ment 4 might not be so obvious since it may seem like

a reasonable argument. However, it does not address all

the logical reasons that leashes are necessary but instead

points to one frightening possibility. Yes, we would all

like to avoid being attacked by a dog, which is a scary

and threatening possibility, and by using only this sce￾nario in the argument, the writer is appealing directly

to our emotions.

Summary

Looking for appeals to logic will make you a more crit￾ical reader and thinker. And once you learn to read

between the lines in an argument (to look behind emo￾tional appeals for some sort of logical support), you’ll

have more confidence as a reader and be a better judge

of the arguments that you hear and read.

–EMOTIONAL VERSUS LOGICAL APPEALS–

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■ Listen carefully to how people around you try to convince you (or others) when they want you to think

or act a certain way. For example, if a friend wants you to try a new place for lunch, how does he or

she try to convince you: with appeals to your sense of logic (“The food is great—and so are the prices!”)

or to your emotions (“What, are you afraid to try something new?”)? If your boss asks you to work over￾time, does he or she appeal to your sense of logic (“You’ll make lots of extra money”) or to your emo￾tions (“I could really, really use your help”)? See which arguments you find most convincing and why.

■ Read an editorial from the Opinion-Editorial page of your local newspaper. Look at how the writer sup￾ports his or her argument. Is the editiorial convincing? Why? What reasons or evidence does it use to

support its position?

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