Logos, ethos, and pathos

David Cameron focuses on all three forms of appeal in his Speech on Radicalization, Islamic Extremism, and the Failure of State Multiculturalism. Each form of appeal has a different effect on the audience and, combined, they help Cameron deliver a complex speech on urgent issues.

Logos

First, Cameron appeals to logos when he uses logical reasoning to support his ideas. At the beginning of his speech, he distinguishes between Islam – as a religion – and Islamic extremism – as a toxic ideology that leads to terrorism: “Islam is a religion observed peacefully and devoutly by over a billion people. Islamist extremism is a political ideology supported by a minority…”. Distinguishing between the two concepts helps Cameron structure his ideas in a way that suggests societies should oppose extreme ideology, not religion. 

Then, Cameron appeals to logos when he uses explicit argumentation to express his ideas. For example, he uses explicit a...