“Overpopulation Is Not the Problem” by
Erle C. Ellis is a piece of op-ed writing featured in The New York Times. This editorial is about the common mentality
that the earth will someday be unable to support all life on it. However,
instead of backing up this argument, Ellis uses logos by validating the
counterpoint that earth will be able to sustain all life with the help of
technologies created by humans. Ellis, an associate professor of geography and
environmental systems in Baltimore County and a visiting associate professor at
Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, uses ethos to demonstrate his credibility.
He mentions in the article that he is trained as a biologist, so he knows the
mathematics of population growth. In addition, he has gotten lots of
information from his research on the ecology of agriculture in China.
This op-ed was created in response to the anxiety many scientists have
about the future; it takes a frequent worry-causing prediction and fully
refutes it. Ellis’s purpose, to give his readers a new perspective on the fate
of the future, was achieved because he used rhetorical devices associated with
logos and ethos. Logos was used to back up his points and disprove others’
points, and ethos was used in order to establish a sense of shared values
between the author and the audience. In this case, the shared values are the destiny
of the earth and the life it supports. In addition, ethos was also utilized to
show Ellis’s credibility on the subject. This article is meant for any audience
interested in the science of the earth. Furthermore, Ellis intended for his audience
to be anyone reading The New York Times
and wrote his article based on the aforementioned values that are shared
between most of the people living on earth.
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