The Achievement Habit By Bernard Roth

The definition of logos is an appeal to logic and is a way of persuading an audience by reason. Roth gives a good example on if there is something you really want to do but you keep giving excuses on why to put it

If an individual asked many different people from around the world what they thought the meaning of life is, this individual is destined to receive numerous answers that would vary from living a happy life to bringing about happiness to others. However, the most recurrent response would likely be something to the extent of “living a happy, healthy life.” Very few ever accomplish what McCandless achieved, an actual state of happiness and contentedness within one’s life. “ many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind…”(Chris McCandless, Into the Wild) McCandless had the naive idea that if one wants to find serinity within oneself, the individual must have the courage to venture out of one’s habitual lifestyle and mold to unaccustomed experiences. McCandless also infers that finding meaning in your life is not only accomplished by experiencing unorthodox mannerisms but by taking life lessons from these experiences and applying it to better yourself in the future. When ordinary needs have been fulfilled, an individual tends to seek more. Some take up religion or even drugs but others, such as McCandless, strive for personal fulfillment or

Habit as defined in Webster’s as a: a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance b : an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary (Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online, 2011). Behavior is the manner of conducting oneself or anything that an organism does involving action and response to stimulation. In everyday life habits are formed and intertwined with ones behavior. People are often associated with the way they behave

Moss is able to persuade his audience due to the fact that logistics, or usage of logos, is a great addition to the claims made. In fact, Moss connects with his readers and attracts emotion by giving a cause-and-effect sentence structure. Moss goes on to write, “When [Philip Morris] wanted to get bigger, they purchased General Foods, which resulted to a $9 billion industry leader” (53). The usage of the numbers given concludes on how Moss’ view is correct and thus Moss accomplishes his

            One way that the author's message is successful is with logos.  Logos is the use of reason and it

Roth worked as a mechanical engineer before he was inspired to start teaching a class at Stanford. He was tired of people talking about what they wanted, but not doing the actions. In his class, he made his students do a personal, deeply personal, project. “Now, for the first time, Roth brings his mantra of “doing is everything” to his inspirational and a valuable new book, The Achievement Habit, Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life" (Theachievementhabit.com). Roth uses examples and situations of his life to make the reader analysis their patterns and lifestyle choices; choices that stop them from reaching their goals. He then intrigues the reader by using encounters he has had with his students that also demonstrate our

In chapter two of the book, The Achievement Habit, author Bernard Roth discusses the idea that reasons are hogwash. Roth feels that reasons are unnecessary and can be considered poisonous to people that use them. The second chapter describes how Roth developed this idea through his own experiences and those of others. A biography of Roth is claims that his main goal as a professor and author is to assist people to have a more successful lifestyle (“Bernard Roth”). Roth reveals stories to guide the audience in turning around their own lives. Roth’s development of ethos, pathos and logos is utilized to support his argument that reasons are bull.

In the first two chapters of the book The Achievement Habit, Bernard Roth talks about how “nothing is what you think it is” (Roth 14) and “reasons are bullshit” (Roth 37). Bernard Roth has been a professor for many years and in his book, he directs his message to college students and young adults. He introduces a perspective for life and gives other tips along the way in the first chapter. In the next chapter of the book he explains how reasons are prettied up excuses and how one must be confident in their actions. Throughout both chapters Roth tries to persuade young adults to open their mind and look at things with a different viewpoint. Roth uses the rhetorical approach of pathos and ethos very well, but his logical reasoning

There are similarities and differences when analyzing the components of biological and humanistic approaches to personality. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs express important aspects of biological factors that approaches personality.

What is the meaning of life? What gives life meaning? Philosophers have asked these questions for decades, and there still is not a solid answer to the question. This paper will analyze one modern philosopher’s take on the question: What gives life meaning? Susan Wolf is a modern moral philosopher and philosopher of action and mind. She attended two Ivy League institutions for her undergraduate and graduate careers. Wolf received a Bachelor’s of Arts in Philosophy and Math from Yale University, and she received a PhD in Philosophy from Princeton University. Wolf taught at various prestigious institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, and University of Maryland. She is currently a professor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill where she teaches philosophy. Susan Wolf has written many works such as “Meaning in Life and Why It Matters,” “Freedom Within Reason.” This paper will focus on the article “Meaning in Life” from the journal “Happiness and Meaning: Two Aspects of the Good Life.”

When faced with the decision of accepting or rejecting this pernicious philosophy, one is shocked to find oneself in the role of Vonnegut’s protagonist Billy. Stumbling along a life in which he takes no active part, Billy conceives what he believes to be the truth of war, and life in general: “Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt”(Vonnegut 156). Of course, this kernel of wisdom is shared not in words, but in a child’s drawing, furthermore drawing attention to the willfully childish ignorance that Billy and Vonnegut have chosen for the world. By superimposing the image of an ideal of harmful naivete on his readers, Vonnegut tactfully stirs the morals of his readers in a way that no coolly composed and calculating rhetoric could ever aspire to.

Is Change possible Can people change? Most people say one can’t change, everyone always stays the same. In the book The power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, he talks about the powers of a habit’s and how one can change these habits. A habit is something someone practices continually, that is hard to give up. My habit is smoking, every time I go somewhere in my car I feel like smoking a cigarette.

On the first page of chapter one, after his introductory paragraph, Roth transition quickly into a rather lengthy story about one of his students eventually finding success in a project that originated from Bernard's class. Long story short, Roth is so excited to see his past student’s accomplishment that he hugged him after having not spoken to him in years. This is a clever use of pathos that sparks the readers emotions because they envision this happiness and believe it possible to obtain it through Dr. Roth's teachings (Roth, 1). In all reality that is the best way to promote a product; showing a direct correlation between success and his teachings is exactly what Dr. Roth is trying to get at with this example of individual

While watching “The Puzzle of Motivation” by Dan Pink, I was very intrigued. Throughout the entire talk, there were several interesting points that were made. It really interested me when Pink talked about the group that was rewarded. Pink stated that if the contestants were in the top 25% of the fastest times, they would be rewarded five dollars. With this incentive, most would hope to do well, if not better than the person that would not be rewarded. Pink then goes on to point out the results. How much faster did the group that was offered a reward actually do? On average, it took them three and a half minutes longer. This really stood out to me because when offered a reward for a task, normally a person would be more motivated and thus do better. What amazed me even more was that this isn’t just a one time thing. This is has been replicated over and over for nearly 40 years. As Pink says around 04:33, “These contingent motivators -- if you do this, then you get that -- work in some circumstances. But for a lot of tasks, they actually either don 't work or, often, they do harm.” These rewards that are being offered are being used to attempt to sharpen thinking and accelerate creativity, but instead it’s proving to do the opposite. It’s proving to dull thinking and block creativity.

When it comes to the topic of addiction, most of us will readily agree that it is a miserable trait to possess. An addiction is a physical and psychological state of being that if not treated correctly could result into harmful wrongdoing. In The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, he recounts a story in which a fatigued housewife named Angie Bachmann lost all of her family’s assets, amounting to a million dollars due to a gambling addiction. Every habit has three components: a cue or a trigger of an automatic behavior to start, a routine the behavior itself, and a reward which is how our brain learns to remember this pattern for the future. According to Duhigg, “you cannot extinguish a bad habit, you can only change it” (63). Duhigg