The 'To Be Number One' ethos

Lore & Background

The word ethos is a Greek word originally meaning 'accustomed place', 'custom, habit', equivalent to Latin mores. Ethos forms the root of ethikos, meaning 'morality, showing moral character'. In modern usage, ethos denotes the disposition, character, or fundamental values peculiar to a specific person, people, organization, culture, or movement.

Reader's Guide

In rhetoric, ethos (credibility of the speaker) is one of the three artistic proofs or modes of persuasion discussed by Aristotle, alongside pathos and logos. Speakers must establish ethos from the start, involving moral competence, expertise, and knowledge. According to Aristotle, there are three categories of ethos: phronesis (useful skills and practical wisdom), arete (virtue, goodwill), and eunoia (goodwill towards the audience).

Did You Know?

• The Greeks used ethos to refer to the power of music to influence emotions, behaviors, and even morals.
• Aristotle linked virtue, habituation, and ethos in his Nicomachean Ethics, stating that moral virtue comes about as a result of habit.