Pathos is one of the three modes of persuasion in rhetoric (along with ethos and logos). Pathos appeals to the audience's emotions. It is a part of Aristotle's philosophies in rhetoric. Not to be confused with 'bathos' (βάθος) which is an attempt to perform in a serious, dramatic fashion that fails and ends up becoming comedy.

Emotional appeal can be accomplished in a multitude of ways:

• by a metaphor or story telling, common as a hook,
• by a general passion in the delivery and an overall amount of emotional items in the text of the speech, or in writing.

In rhetoric, 'pathos' is the use of emotional appeals to alter the audience's judgment. A common use of pathos in argument is creating a sense of rejection if the audience doesn't agree. Creating a fear of rejection is in essence, creating a pathos argument.

Many refer to Pathos as the "band-wagon" appeal, or trying to convince the audience to join in on the speaker's belief. By making the statement in a way that cannot be argued, the audience feels driven to believe the speaker's opinion as a fact, thus joining the speaker in the belief that it is a commonly accepted idea. This is a major theme used in any form of propaganda.

Over-emotionalism can be the result of an excess of pathos.

The term is commonly used by critics, especially in positive reference to the dramatic performances of actors.

See also

• Appeal to emotion
• Rhetoric
• Bathos
• Pathetic fallacy

Pathos originated from Aristotle's 'The Art of Rhetoric' in 330 B.C.