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Irony
Definition of Logos
Logos, along with ethos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Logos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Logos, along with ethos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Logos is... read full definition
Logos, along with ethos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
The Praise of Folly
Explanation and Analysis—Childhood Happiness:
Throughout the course of the essay, the character of Folly exhibits both great foolishness and occasional wisdom. After making the somewhat preposterous claim that she is more powerful than any of the other gods because foolishness makes life pleasurable, she uses logos to advance a surprisingly well-reasoned argument on her own behalf:
Who does not know that the earliest period of a man’s life is by far the happiest for him and by far the most pleasant for all about him? What is it in children, that we should kiss them the way we do, and cuddle them, and fondle them—so that even an enemy would give aid to one of that age—except this enchantment of folly [...] so that by this pleasure, as a sort of prepayment, they win the favor of their nurses and parents and make these forget the pains of bringing them up.
Folly reasons that “the earliest period of a man’s life,” or childhood, is “by far the happiest for him.” Children, she argues, are far happier than adults despite also being more foolish. She uses logos, then, to reach the logical conclusion that wisdom does not correlate with happiness. Further, she notes that it is “the enchantment of folly” that makes adults feel so much affection for children, noting that even a person’s “enemy” would “give aid” to their child in spite of the irrationality of that action. Here, as elsewhere in the essay, Folly proves to be an inconsistent but able logician, using logos to defend her surprising arguments about the social and personal value of foolishness.
Related Themes:
