lógos

Lógos (Greek: λόγος) is a term in ancient Greek thought that has been translated as word, speech, reason, account, or principle. The word carries a family of related meanings rather than a single fixed sense and has been used across philosophy, rhetoric, and theology.

In pre-Socratic philosophy, lógos denotes the rational principle that orders the cosmos. Heraclitus, for example, pictured the logos as an underlying reason shaping change and harmony within the universe. This idea influenced later schools, notably the Stoics, who taught that the universe is permeated by a divine rational principle—often identified with the Logos—and that human beings participate in this rational order.

In Stoicism, the Logos is the active, organizing force of nature, sometimes described as a divine fire or the rational structure that gives form to events. Human wisdom consists in aligning one’s will with the Logos, thereby living in accordance with nature.

In rhetoric, lógos is one of the three modes of persuasion, alongside ethos (character) and pathos (emotion). It refers to logical argument, evidence, and reasoning used to persuade an audience.

In Christian theology, the term becomes a central title for Christ. The Gospel of John presents the Logos as the pre-existent Word who was with God and was God, through whom all things were made and who became incarnate in Jesus. This usage has profoundly influenced Western thought on divine reason and revelation.

In modern philosophy and critical theory, lógos often denotes logic or rational principle in a broad sense. It appears in discussions of universal reason, the structure of thought, and the organization of discourse and representation across various disciplines.