Ethos
When talking about UFOs, Dr. Neil deGrasse makes use of the ethos rhetorical appeal. In his argument, he highlights his personal experiences in matters of cosmology and science. Dr. Neil deGrasse states that he spent some years as an astronomer who studied the skies frequently. He also talks about interesting features that he has seen, such as the orographic clouds that form above huge mountains. Dr. Neil explains how the layperson might mistake such features for UFOs. By giving these personal experiences, he shows familiarity with the topic of UFOs and his credibility is therefore established.
Dr. Neil deGrasse makes references to his academic qualifications that are related to the topic of cosmology. He mentions that he has an academic background in meteorology and astronomy. By making this statement, Dr. Neil deGrasse implies that he has specialized knowledge that can be applied to the subject of UFOs. In addition to this, he talks about the community of amateur astronomers and how they use their knowledge and skills to observe the skies. He indicates that he was once a part of this group, therefore establishing his authority on the topic of astronomy.
In the discussion, Neil deGrasse makes reference to his character as a scientist. This is done by talking in a casual manner about scientists, thereby demonstrating his familiarity with how they operate. He illustrates how scientists use evidence to prove things. The audience can tell from this that Dr. Neil deGrasse is a scientist, and his credibility is increased. He makes a number of references to his lab and from this; the audience can infer that has over the years engaged in some scientific works. As such, without having to state exactly what kinds of scientific works he has carried out, Dr. Neil deGrasse is able to present himself as an authority in Science.
From the onset, Neil deGrasse uses evidence provided by authorities on other disciplines that can be used to explain the UFO sightings phenomenon. He provides the opinion offered by psychologists to illustrate how the human mind operates. This reliance on other authorities increases the strength of his arguments. By referencing authoritative sources, his credibility is increased.
Finally, Dr. Neil deGrasse presents himself as a person who is likeable when giving his opinion. His presentation style is appealing to the audience, and anyone listening to him develops a liking for him. By using this likeable personality, he is able to persuade the audience that his point of view is worth considering.
Pathos
Dr Neil deGrasse employs the rhetorical appeal of pathos when giving his opinion on the issue of UFOs. He makes an attempt to connect emotionally with the audience by using anecdotes. To show how unreliable eyewitness testimony is, he retells the story about the message passing game played by second graders. To make the moment even more memorable for the audience, he has a second-grade child explain what happens in the game and the audience is very captivated by this. Dr. Neil deGrasse tells the story of the police officer who thought that he was chasing a UFO while in reality, he was tracking the planet, Venus. This story is used to show how people who are not knowledgeable about the cosmos are likely to make obvious mistakes since they do not know what they are looking at.
Dr. Neil deGrasse paints very clear pictures through his words in an attempt to engage the audience’s emotions. His narration about the police officer who reported seeing a UFO is very vivid. From his body language, as he narrates the story, it is easy to visualize the officer chasing the supposed UFO. His description of the aliens carrying out an experiment on an abducted person is not only funny but very vivid. It elicits an emotional response from the audience. He even gets one of the other speakers to serve as a prop, and this leads to a very positive reaction from the audience, who are very involved with what he is illustrating.
Pathos is also employed when Dr. Neil deGrasse makes extensive use of humour to illustrate his points in the argument. He gets the audience laughing at themselves when he asserts that the optical illusions should be called brain failures. Through humour, he is able to explain his point on how the human perception system is faulty. He uses humour to dismiss the supposed photographic evidence presented by people who believe in UFOs.
Dr. Neil deGrasse asserts that he would need more than a photograph since it is possible to falsify one using Photoshop. Since his jokes are connected to the argument, he is making, and they, therefore, serve to support his claims against UFO sightings.
Finally, Dr. Neil deGrasse employs pathos through his language choice. While he is a renowned scientist with numerous qualifications, he does not use technical language. Instead, he presents his material in everyday language and in a manner that is easy to comprehend. His jokes make reference to popular culture, and this makes them relatable to his audience.