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Three Characters, Three Arguments Each rhetorical device was embodied by a character. Théra Peute, couple's therapist and self-described "mathematicienne en herbe," represented logos. Her arguments rested on studies, statistics, and scientific reasoning, the most objective of the three approaches, but not necessarily the most effective in matters of the heart. She wore a lab coat and carried a calculator. Eros, the Greek god of love himself, embodied pathos. His arguments operated through passion and feeling, manipulating the emotions of whoever was listening. He arrived in a white dress, wings, ivy, and a heart-tipped bow and arrow, the visual embodiment of desire made rhetorical strategy. Gérard Duconflit, the seduction coach, carried ethos. His authority came not from data or emotion but from credibility, experience, and an almost overwhelming confidence in himself. He wore a black suit, kept his hands in his pockets, and spoke as though failure was simply not part of his vocabulary.
The Format: Formation, then Date The exposition unfolded in three acts. The first, Formation, introduced the concept and gave each character the floor to present their philosophy on love and persuasion. The second, Le Date, was where theory became practice. A volunteer from the audience sat down opposite Juliette, the group's "coeur à prendre," at a table set with a tablecloth, plates, glasses, cutlery, candles, flowers, and paper hearts. Juliette posed questions designed to provoke exactly the kind of disagreement a real first date might produce. For each question, all three advisors proposed a response and argued for it. Two of the three were acceptable to Juliette; one was not.
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A candlelit table. A nervous volunteer. Three very opinionated advisors. This was the premise of Let's Date, the live exposition created these students for their Bauhaus Exposition. The concept was deceptively simple: use the theater of a romantic date to teach Aristotle's three rhetorical devices, logos, pathos, and ethos, to anyone willing to sit down at the table. The premise held that a first date is, at its core, a persuasion exercise. You are trying to convince the person across from you that you are worth a second one. Rhetoric, the students argued, is not confined to political speeches or courtroom arguments. It lives in every conversation where someone is trying to win someone else over. 
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The volunteer had to choose. Three correct answers meant a second date. More than three wrong, and it ended there. A third act, Ressentis, invited participants to leave a post-it note naming the advisor who had convinced them most.
What the Post-Its Revealed The post-its produced a small surprise. Ethos, Gérard Duconflit, the seduction coach, came out on top. The students noted that this character inspires trust naturally, through experience and self-assurance rather than evidence or emotion. The public's preference confirmed something the theory already suggested: credibility and perceived status carry significant persuasive weight. Aristotle, it turned out, was right.
What the Post-Its Revealed The post-its produced a small surprise. Ethos, Gérard Duconflit, the seduction coach, came out on top. The students noted that this character inspires trust naturally, through experience and self-assurance rather than evidence or emotion. The public's preference confirmed something the theory already suggested: credibility and perceived status carry significant persuasive weight. Aristotle, it turned out, was right.
