As stated in a previous chapter summary, disinterest and virtue, can be a powerful persuasion tools, and they are all ethos. To combat this, simply look for the disconnects. When someone tries to manipulate you through disinterest, look for the short circuits between their needs and yours. The second characteristic of ethos, virtue, also has disconnects. Virtue is a state of character concerned with choice, lying n a mean. This definition makes more sense when you break it down into fragments. "A state of character" means rhetorical virtue that only exists during the argument itself. It adapts the audience's expectations. A woman could be a great mother, but if you believe that she is a bad one, then she is temporarily n that argument. For a moment, it becomes her state of character. "Concerned with choice" is virtue that comes out of the choices that the persuader makes. A persuader lacks rhetorical virtue if they try to prevent a choice from happening. And lastly, "lying in a mean" is the sweet spot of every question that lies in the middle of extremes. A virtuous teacher would neither be an idiot or self absorbed in their own smartness.
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