Today, I am going to talk about ethos! To those who do not know what ethos is, ethos is the appeal to credibility. For example, are you more willing to let your best friend, that gave you your money back the last time, borrow $20 over a stranger you just met? Most likely, you are going to let your best friend borrow the money since there is uncertainty that you will get the money back from the stranger. On the other hand, the best friend has a positive history with you causing that person to have a higher credibility. This makes you more reluctant to chose your best friend due to the past history you have with that person.
Another example of ethos is applying for a job. The first thing the interviewer always ask the interviewee is a resume of their past history. This is a necessity because the interviewer is not going to give a job to any random person that wants the job. The interviewee got to have some experience or credibility to prove that he or she is capable for the job.
However, credibility is not always a positive thing. For example, if you were involved in a fight with someone in school, your credibility of maintaining peace is excoriated due to the fact of you performing a violent action. Because of this, should we make decisions not based off of someone's credibility? Should we completely ignore all of the actions and decisions a person made in the past and look forward?
I think it is completely unfair to judge someone's past and previous decisions due to the simple fact that people can change. A person that has done wrong all their life can do a complete 360, and become conscientious of their decisions and attempt to ameliorate their well being. Then, there is a complete inverse. A person can be flawless, and then be exposed to the wrong environment or surroundings or a negative influence. Then, this can cause a person to do the complete opposite of what they have been doing. So, I think we need to ignore credibility and past decisions and focus on what people are now.
However, credibility is not always a positive thing. For example, if you were involved in a fight with someone in school, your credibility of maintaining peace is excoriated due to the fact of you performing a violent action. Because of this, should we make decisions not based off of someone's credibility? Should we completely ignore all of the actions and decisions a person made in the past and look forward?
I also agree in terms of "judging" others by their past / previous decision. People tend to see others through their outside not inside. However, "ethos" are important aspect for us to say with because it is one of the significant appeal we can make in the society. I enjoyed your post and want see more things in the future.
ReplyDeleteHey Khalil! Good discussion; just keep in mind that ethos is not only credibility, but a person's ethical credibility.
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