Gore’s argument in his book, The Assault on Reason, informs readers about the way fear encourages illogical thinking. Gore varies greatly between different methods of persuasion, including appeals to emotion (pathos) and credibility (ethos). He utilizes these many techniques to bring out the relationship between politics and fear, however, a specific element overshadows the others. The extensive application of expertise, a form of ethos, lends itself to Gore’s statements about how fear affects people’s rationality. The significance of expertise lies in the knowledge and deep research that can account for a wide variety of the ideas that Gore mentions throughout his argument. These experienced perspectives support and consolidate Gore’s logic
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The professionals’ quotes describe for readers what the exact processes of the brain consist of, giving context to what Gore claims. The expertise also gives readers solid proof of the concepts’ existence. Gore’s career as a politician is far from a specialist of the mind, so he calls upon their discoveries to help readers see the connection between fear and politics. The credibility makes readers more inclined to believe the ideas that Gore discusses. For example, Gore asserts that people do not think logically. Even though they vote upon the leader of the country and other important matters, they rely more on emotion that anything else. Gore inserts a quote by a specialist who supports this statement, “One of the world’s leading neuroscientists, Dr. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran, has written, ‘Our mental life is governed mainly by a cauldron of emotions, motives and desires which we are barely conscious of, and what we call our conscious life is usually an elaborate post hoc rationalization of things we really do for other reasons’” (Gore 28). Gore’s chosen quote reveals the irrational nature of the human mind, pointing out how people cannot control or …show more content…
Gore quotes another reputable professional, “Barry Glassner, a professor of sociology at the University of Southern
California, argues that there are three techniques that together make up ‘fearmongering’: repetition, making the irregular seem regular, and misdirection” (Gore 36). The prevalence of the television in the 21st century combined with this concept makes fear seem like an unavoidable part of daily life that will inevitably affect people’s choices. Gore’s concepts seem more believable and factual when well-educated people confirm them. Gore’s use of expertise strengthens his key concepts, therefore his overall argument.
The professionals’ intelligent diction adds an component of trustworthiness and accuracy within the expertise. The specialized language boosts the level of trust in a reader because the words of someone well-versed in a subject matter seem respectable as opposed to a layman. Someone who researches and speaks in technical terms of their studies probably has authority on their topic. An instance of jargon used in this way describes the power of emotion, “In the words of New York
University neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux, author of The Emotional Brain, ‘Connections from
The professionals’ quotes describe for readers what the exact processes of the brain consist of, giving context to what Gore claims. The expertise also gives readers solid proof of the concepts’ existence. Gore’s career as a politician is far from a specialist of the mind, so he calls upon their discoveries to help readers see the connection between fear and politics. The credibility makes readers more inclined to believe the ideas that Gore discusses. For example, Gore asserts that people do not think logically. Even though they vote upon the leader of the country and other important matters, they rely more on emotion that anything else. Gore inserts a quote by a specialist who supports this statement, “One of the world’s leading neuroscientists, Dr. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran, has written, ‘Our mental life is governed mainly by a cauldron of emotions, motives and desires which we are barely conscious of, and what we call our conscious life is usually an elaborate post hoc rationalization of things we really do for other reasons’” (Gore 28). Gore’s chosen quote reveals the irrational nature of the human mind, pointing out how people cannot control or …show more content…
Gore quotes another reputable professional, “Barry Glassner, a professor of sociology at the University of Southern
California, argues that there are three techniques that together make up ‘fearmongering’: repetition, making the irregular seem regular, and misdirection” (Gore 36). The prevalence of the television in the 21st century combined with this concept makes fear seem like an unavoidable part of daily life that will inevitably affect people’s choices. Gore’s concepts seem more believable and factual when well-educated people confirm them. Gore’s use of expertise strengthens his key concepts, therefore his overall argument.
The professionals’ intelligent diction adds an component of trustworthiness and accuracy within the expertise. The specialized language boosts the level of trust in a reader because the words of someone well-versed in a subject matter seem respectable as opposed to a layman. Someone who researches and speaks in technical terms of their studies probably has authority on their topic. An instance of jargon used in this way describes the power of emotion, “In the words of New York
University neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux, author of The Emotional Brain, ‘Connections from