In Isaac Asimov’s “The Relativity of Wrong”, he explains how people often think that scientific knowledge can only be completely right or totally wrong and challenges these views using several rhetorical devices. He uses various techniques like appealing to the audience’s logic (logos), emotions (pathos), his ethos, rhetorical questions and provides meaningful comparisons to prove that scientific knowledge is not black and white, rather that it progresses over time. Asimov uses vivid examples of logos to show how scientific ideas change and advance through human curiosity and questioning. One of the primary examples he analyzes is how people believed the Earth was flat. However, as scientific knowledge advanced, scientists figured out that the Earth is round (oblate spheroid), meaning that it is slightly squished at the poles. Asimov writes, “The curvature of the earth is nearly 0° per mile, so although the flat-earth theory is wrong, it happens to be nearly right”. Through his words, the idea that science is neither right or wrong is reinforced by showing that even though the …show more content…
Right at the beginning, he tells a story about an English literature major who misunderstood something he had written about science. Asimov says he “sighed a bit” when he read the letter because he doubted the student could teach him about science. This bit of humor makes Asimov seem more human and makes the reader feel like they can relate to him. By starting the essay in this light-hearted way, Asimov grabs the reader’s attention and makes them feel more connected to him as a person. He’s not just some distant scientist, he’s someone who deals with misunderstandings and frustrations, just like the rest of us. This emotional connection helps make his argument more persuasive because the reader feels like they are on the same page with him, not being lectured