Good Listening

The practice of making logical arguments in Latin began well over 2,000 years ago. An interesting contribution of Latin to the world today remains in the methods of argument used to persuade as follows:

Argumentum:

• ad hominem – the appeal to personal prejudice
• ad populum – an appeal to mass emotions
• ad misericordiam – an appeal through the exploitation to pity
• ad baculum – the application of brute forces – “to the club.”
• ad crumenam – an appeal to money, “the purse.”
• ad verecundiam – the playing up of prejudice
• ad ignorantiam – stress upon ignorance
• ad captandum vulgus – a dishonest argument to “catch the crowd.”