This essay expands Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca's concept of argumentation by model to bring more attention to the persuasive effects of using the self as a model. To illuminate this technique, I analyze the personal narratives of popular health coaches, who are championing a holistic health movement toward what I refer to as "do-it-yourself…

Examines Thomas M. Sawyer's proposed legalistic model for ethical argumentation. Argues that Sawyer's model is inadequate because ethical rules are all too plentiful and because the model invites uncritical appeals to ethical rules. Illustrates how argument from analogy is better than Sawyer's approach for discovering and presenting well-defended…