How to Identify Inartistic Proofs

Inartistic proofs, as opposed to artistic proofs (ethos, pathos, logos), are factual, uncontrollable appeals. They can be actual evidence, or simply the location of a speech. Some examples of inartistic proofs include laws, contracts, expert testimony, oaths, witnesses, statistics, and any other form of data. Inartistic proofs, as with artistic proofs, can be used in order to strengthen an argument. They help to further prove an idea being argued.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Understanding Rhetoric

Rhetoric, in this particular context, is communication that is meant to persuade. The idea of rhetoric was created in ancient Greece when the rise of democracies meant citizens needed a way to participate in government.^{[1]XResearch source}
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Know what rhetoric can teach you. If you have an understanding of rhetoric you can begin to construct and deconstruct people's arguments, which will lead to more critical thinking and more informed decision making.
- If you understand rhetoric, you will be able to create persuasive arguments by arranging words and facts together while thinking critically about your audience.
- Apart from creating persuasive arguments, having an understanding of rhetoric will give you the ability to deconstruct and analyze other people's arguments. When someone is trying to persuade you, you will be able to dig deeper, think critically, and analyze the strength of their rhetoric.^{[2]XResearch source}
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Identify contemporary forms of rhetoric. In today's world, rhetoric is all around you and takes many forms. For example, political communication (e.g. political debates, speeches, and advertisements) can be considered rhetoric because it is an argument meant to persuade you to vote a certain way. Another example could be marketing communication (e.g., television commercials, magazine commercials, billboards, etc.), which are arguments meant to persuade you to buy something.^{[3]XResearch source}
- If you can recognize and understand the rhetoric around you in today's world, you will be able to think critically about what is being said in order to make informed decisions.
Rhetoric generally contains two types of "proofs", which is another word for an appeal or argument. The first type of proof is the artistic proof. Artistic proofs are invented and crafted by you, the author of the rhetoric.^{[4]XResearch source} They appeal to emotions and logic but do not necessarily contain facts or statistics.
On the other hand, the second type of proof, inartistic proofs, includes anything factual and pre-existing that you can use to bolster and enhance your rhetoric. Unlike artistic proofs, inartistic proofs are not created but are found.^{[5]XResearch source} Inartistic proofs include laws, contracts, expert testimony, oaths, witnesses, statistics, and any other form of data.
A complete argument emerges when you combine artistic and inartistic proofs. In order to identify inartistic proofs, it is first necessary to understand the distinction between them and artistic proofs. Without an understanding of that distinction, telling the difference between artistic and inartistic proofs may prove difficult.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Constructing an Argument

To help you grasp the idea of rhetoric and inartistic proofs, it is important to understand how to construct a complete argument. In doing so, you will learn how to find inartistic proofs and incorporate them into rhetoric. Once you know how to construct an argument, you will be able to deconstruct one for the purpose of identifying the inartistic proofs within it.
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Create artistic proofs. Once you know what rhetoric is and how it is used today, you can start creating arguments using specific pieces of information. To start, you will create a series of artistic proofs that will be the base of your rhetoric. They are created by you and should combine good logic and appropriate appeals to passion, and should emphasize your trustworthiness.^{[6]XResearch source} Artistic proofs take three main forms, all of which should be included in a complete argument:
- Logos, which are appeals to reason and logic. An example of a logos artistic proof may look something like this: We do not have enough money to pay for improvements to our roads. Without these improvements, our transportation systems will falter and our economy will suffer. Therefore, we should raise taxes in order to improve our roads.
  - In this example, you are appealing to reason and logic. If good roads are necessary to the economy, and if there is not enough money to fix the bad roads, then money should be raised in order to help fix the bad roads.
- Pathos, which are appeals to the emotions of your audience. An example of a pathos artistic proof might read: John Doe wants to hurt students by raising interest rates on educational loans.
  - In this example, you are making an appeal to the emotions of your audience. By telling your audience John Doe wants to hurt students, you are stirring their emotions and causing them to feel angry, sad, and possibly resentment.
- Ethos, which are appeals to the credibility of yourself, the speaker.^{[7]XResearch source} An example of an ethos artistic proof may take the following form: I am a husband, father, and taxpayer. I have served in Congress for 20 years. I deserve your vote for reelection.
  - As you can see, this type of argument attempts to persuade by calling attention to your own character.
You should include inartistic proofs alongside artistic ones. The inartistic proofs you use can take the form of laws, contracts, expert testimony, oaths, witnesses, statistics, and any other form of data.
One form of an inartistic proof is a statistic. An example of a statistical inartistic proof is: "88% of political advertising in the 2012 election has been spent creating negative ads."^{[8]XResearch source}
Another form of an inartistic proof is a law. An example of a law related inartistic proof is: Under federal law, the punishment for first degree murder is life in prison.
If you are creating an argument in part based on the terms of a contract, you can use those terms as an inartistic proof. For example, you might say: Under the contract, the price of the vehicle is $10,000.
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Combine proofs to create a persuasive argument. Once you have created a number of persuasive artistic proofs and backed them up with inartistic proofs, you will combine all of your proofs to create a persuasive argument (i.e., rhetoric).
- A complete argument looks like this: Presidential candidates have spent over $2 billion so far during the 2012 election cycle. Having researched and sponsored a bill in Congress regarding campaign spending, I have a unique perspective on this issue. Taxpayer money should be from political campaigns and should be used for more important things like educating our children so America doesn't fall behind in the world.^{[9]XResearch source}
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Recognizing Inartistic Proofs

If you are trying to analyze an argument and find inartistic proofs, you will start by deconstructing the entire argument. To do this, you will separate the argument into its' individual sentences. When you read the argument, you may find that even individual sentences contain multiple types of proofs. If this is the case, separate the argument even more.
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Identify artistic proofs. Once you have deconstructed the rhetoric into its' individual parts, you can begin to analyze the argument piece by piece. When you do this, try and set all of the artistic proofs aside. Then you can begin to analyze all of the artistic proofs in order to identify the different kinds that are present (i.e., ethos, logos, pathos).
- For example, if you break apart a complete argument, you might find the following types of proofs:
  - An ethos artistic proof when the argument states: "Having researched and sponsored a bill in Congress regarding campaign spending, I have a unique perspective on this issue."
  - A logos artistic proof when the argument states: "Taxpayer money should be from political campaigns and should be used for more important things like educating our children..."
  - A pathos artistic proof when the argument states: "...so America doesn't fall behind in the world."
- As you can see, arguments will contain various types of artistic proofs and some single sentences may contain more than one type of proof. Look for these things when you are identifying artistic proofs.
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Find the facts and statistics. Once you have identified all the artistic proofs, you should be left with a series of inartistic proofs. To check your work, analyze the sentences you are left with and make sure they all contain factual and statistical arguments. If they do, you have identified your inartistic proofs.
- For example, once you have identified all the artistic proofs in an argument, you may be left with an inartistic proof stating: "Presidential candidates have spent over $2 billion so far during the 2012 election cycle."
  - As you can see, this argument is an inartistic proof because it contains an appeal to facts and statistics.
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