An Overview of the Persuasive Argument by James Lovelock
Throughout time people all over the world have speculated what the end would be, but one man has concluded that the end is already here and all we can do is survive. The central idea of an argument can be defined as the way the audience of the article interprets the message trying to be conveyed. Some arguments can be very unclear and maybe even indecisive, and in these cases the reader must interpret what the author is trying to get across. James Lovelock introduces his opinion in the article, "enjoy life while you can: in 20 years global warming will hit the fan". Lovelock introduces evidence he has found with his nearly fifty years of experience, and with his evidence he formulated a central idea in his argumentative article. Lovelock's belief is that global warming has come to a point in time when it is too late to do anything about it, and all we can do now is wait and prepare for the "doomsday".
The article presents one overlying argument as the central idea, "It's just too late for [reversing the effects of global warming]" (Lovelock, 1). Lovelock's idea that the world is "doomed" can been seen as very pessimistic to many eyes, but to others it could be seen as a "wake-up call". His belief is that the world has waited too long to bring the issue under the microscope and as a result we (the world) cannot do anything about it because the effects (of global warming) are "irreversible". The reporter questioning Lovelock presents this: "As with most people, my panic about climate change is equaled only by my confusion over what I ought to do about it" (Lovelock 1). The questioning and opinions Lovelock gives throughout the article resonates with the reporter which in turn gives the reader insight into whether this is a real issue or not. The reporter's view helps evoke the emotions by connecting to the audience, which makes the author of the article more "trustworthy or personable". The common consensus from reading this article is that Lovelock believes in preparing for the end rather than trying to prevent it. Lovelock states "by 2040 much of Europe will be Saharan; and parts of London will be underwater" (Lovelock 1). The author's attitude in this quotation could be seen as a gloomy perspective or from another's perspectives, a harsh reality. He generates these quotations to create a mood that will help the reader understand the devastating effects that the human race has had on the planet, while also being less than optimistic. The mood the author presents creates the opinions (from the reader) that the argumentative article set out to create.
A persuasive argument is typically used to create a "voice" seen throughout a literary piece that will change the reader's opinion (and hopefully) in favor of their argument. Lovelock's message conveyed throughout the piece is "somber", "hopeless", and "harsh". With a message like that, it makes it more difficult for the reader to support the author when the message is harder to relate to while also being blunt. Lovelock himself helped introduce the Gaia Hypothesis (the idea that the Earth is basically all inner connected or "one super organism"), which was first thought to be ridiculous but now is seen as the "basis of almost all climate science" (Lovelock 1). Although Lovelock presented convincing evidence that "the end may already be with us", his argument was viewed as callous, and therefore it was harder for the audience to support his claim.
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An Overview of the Persuasive Argument by James Lovelock. (2023, May 01). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/an-overview-of-the-persuasive-argument-by-james-lovelock/
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