Prop up that triangle with The Rhetorical Arch, Part 1: Kairos

The Rhetorical Triangle is a common representation of three rhetorical aspects identified by the Greek philosopher Aristotle: Ethos (Authority), Pathos (Audience Awareness), and Logos (Logic). These are universal: you always need authority for someone to listen, to tailor your words for your audience, and to make sure what you say makes sense. By paying attention to these you make sure your essays and arguments are well structured and make appropriate appeals. However, these appeals alone are limited: there are important things Rhetoric can do that aren't addressed by Ethos, Pathos, and Logos alone.

This is where the rhetorical appeals Kairos and Telos come in. Added to the original Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, we have 5 rhetorical appeals, and rather than going from Triangle to Pentagon, I prefer the image of an arch: Telos supported by Ethos, Pathos, Logos, and Kairos. 

Before explaining that and why Telos gets to sit on top, we need to discuss Kairos.

Kairos literally translates from Greek as “the opportune moment” and I like to think of it in terms of timeliness. Kairos asks us to consider the best time-frame for the argument. Not the timing within the argument, (the best place for a given paragraph or statement or quote), but the timing of the argument: the broader context asking what is the best time for the argument: why does an argument need to be made now, or at what time should it be made?

For example, let's say you're arguing over which sport team is better. When this argument happens will matter and will change the argument. If it's pre-season, the argument will involve speculation about the prospects of the other teams in the league, but if it's on the eve of a championship match, the argument will be more pertinent because of the pending match and won't involve the entire league, only relevant matches. But what if it's not during the season? At best, it would be poorly timed and awkward.

Here's another example. A fifteen year old is going to have much more luck arguing for driving lessons than an eleven year old because of the timing. The fifteen year old is much closer to legally driving, making it a more relevant issue, whereas the eleven year old is still a few years away, making it difficult, if not impossible, for the younger one to win this argument.

Kairos contextualizes. It reminds us we make our arguments at specific times and in tandem with outside influences, and to consider what makes this argument relevant for today. An argument, for example, about the use of crossbows would be out of place today, but in 1139 CE when Pope Innocent II reportedly banned the use of crossbows on Christians, it would have been much more pertinent. And looking to the future, Kairos shows that things need to be changed or done in a given time frame, at certain times for certain reasons, and not just “now” or “soon”. An argument could focus on how changes need to be made to a program, but that the changes need to be implemented over a series of weeks or months, or even that certain steps need to be fulfilled before others can be.

While Kairos does help round out our arguments, it isn't what tops the arch and gives it purpose: that's where Telos comes in.