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Paradox
Definition of Pathos
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Chapter 13: Of the Naturall Condition of Mankind, as concerning their Felicity, and Misery
Explanation and Analysis—Continual Fear:
Though Hobbes primarily employs logos throughout Leviathan, drawing carefully reasoned arguments for his various propositions, he also occasionally wields pathos in order to fully underscore to his reader the terrors of life outside the social contract. In what is perhaps the most famous passage of the book, he wields pathos skillfully in order to emphasize the importance of the state in guaranteeing personal security:
In such condition, there is no place for Industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no Culture of the Earth; no Navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by Sea; no commodious Building; no Instruments of moving, and removing such things as require much force; no Knowledge of the face of the Earth; no account of Time; no Arts; no Letters; no Society; and which is worst of all, continuall feare, and danger of violent death; And the life of man, solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short.
Hobbes takes a deeply pessimistic view of the natural state of man. In nature, he argues, there are none of the products of society that make life convenient, safe, comfortable, or enjoyable. Beyond the confines of a civil society, there can be no helpful commodities, beautiful buildings, creature comforts, or even culture itself.
He underscores dramatically just how much a society has to lose by reentering the state of nature through, for example, civil war—to be specific, he suggests that society stands to lose its arts, its letters, and its understanding of the world, all of which are the fruits of peace brought about by the commonwealth. He also emotionally highlights the “continuall feare and danger of violent death” that characterizes, for him, natural life. In this passage, he uses pathos to emphasize the personal benefits of society and the lamentable horrors of life beyond it.
Related Themes:
