Levitt and Dubner use pathos sparsely in Freakonomics, as it is a book based in
statistics and data. But, the authors do utilize pathos occasionally to play on
the emotions of the reader, thereby helping the reader become more involved in
the book.
The first example of pathos used by Levitt and Dubner is when they discuss the positive effect abortion has had on crime. “It wasn’t gun control or a strong economy or new police strategies that finally blunted out the crime wave. It was…the reality that the pool of potential criminals had dramatically shrunk (because of abortion)” (Levitt and Dubner 6). The authors refer to abortion in this context as a positive for society. This creates different emotions in the reader, depending on the reader’s position and their past relating to abortion. The discussion of abortion by the authors creates potential emotions such as disgust, anger, curiosity, or agreement. The emotions that are created may cause the reader to do more research on abortion or change their stance on abortion. It may also harden their previous stance even more. The authors’ use of pathos in this situation to make the reader feel abortion does have a positive effect. Pathos isn’t used to advocate for abortion, but it affects the reader, making him more involved in the book and getting them to look at abortion from a new perspective.
The second example of pathos used by Levitt and Dubner is when they discuss the fact that pools are in fact more dangerous to young children, referring to likelihood of death, “the likelihood of death by pool (1 in 11,000) versus death by gun (1 in 1 million-plus) isn’t even close” (Levitt and Dubner 150). The authors’ shocking statistics create emotions in the reader such as shock or terror. The reader is exposed to the fact that something they thought was harmless is actually more dangerous than a gun. This use of pathos doesn’t make the reader hate pools per se, but does make the reader more aware of the dangers all around. “It takes only about thirty seconds for a child to drown, and it often happens noiselessly. An infant can drown in water as shallow as a few inches” (Levitt and Dubner 152). The authors enlightening statements create strong emotions in the reader, which help encourage the reader to be more cautious and aware of danger.
The third example of pathos used by Levitt and Dubner is when they discuss if what parents do for their children actually affects their child at all. All parents feel emotions relating to their children, and many parents feel they are a crucial part of their child’s development. Therefore, when Levitt and Dubner say “The reality is that technique looks to be highly overrated…it isn’t so much a matter of what you do as a parent; it’s who you are” (Levitt and Dubner 175), it evokes strong emotions from parents, and even kids. Emotions such as shock or resentment are created in the reader, and this may cause the reader to do more research on the topic or realize that the author’s position is reasonable. The use of pathos by the authors helps encourage new ideas about parenting.
The first example of pathos used by Levitt and Dubner is when they discuss the positive effect abortion has had on crime. “It wasn’t gun control or a strong economy or new police strategies that finally blunted out the crime wave. It was…the reality that the pool of potential criminals had dramatically shrunk (because of abortion)” (Levitt and Dubner 6). The authors refer to abortion in this context as a positive for society. This creates different emotions in the reader, depending on the reader’s position and their past relating to abortion. The discussion of abortion by the authors creates potential emotions such as disgust, anger, curiosity, or agreement. The emotions that are created may cause the reader to do more research on abortion or change their stance on abortion. It may also harden their previous stance even more. The authors’ use of pathos in this situation to make the reader feel abortion does have a positive effect. Pathos isn’t used to advocate for abortion, but it affects the reader, making him more involved in the book and getting them to look at abortion from a new perspective.
The second example of pathos used by Levitt and Dubner is when they discuss the fact that pools are in fact more dangerous to young children, referring to likelihood of death, “the likelihood of death by pool (1 in 11,000) versus death by gun (1 in 1 million-plus) isn’t even close” (Levitt and Dubner 150). The authors’ shocking statistics create emotions in the reader such as shock or terror. The reader is exposed to the fact that something they thought was harmless is actually more dangerous than a gun. This use of pathos doesn’t make the reader hate pools per se, but does make the reader more aware of the dangers all around. “It takes only about thirty seconds for a child to drown, and it often happens noiselessly. An infant can drown in water as shallow as a few inches” (Levitt and Dubner 152). The authors enlightening statements create strong emotions in the reader, which help encourage the reader to be more cautious and aware of danger.
The third example of pathos used by Levitt and Dubner is when they discuss if what parents do for their children actually affects their child at all. All parents feel emotions relating to their children, and many parents feel they are a crucial part of their child’s development. Therefore, when Levitt and Dubner say “The reality is that technique looks to be highly overrated…it isn’t so much a matter of what you do as a parent; it’s who you are” (Levitt and Dubner 175), it evokes strong emotions from parents, and even kids. Emotions such as shock or resentment are created in the reader, and this may cause the reader to do more research on the topic or realize that the author’s position is reasonable. The use of pathos by the authors helps encourage new ideas about parenting.