How Aristotle Inspired Martin Luther King In The Art Of Leadership

Leadership lessons from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are easy to come by. A quick Google search will produce dozens of ‘listicles,’ many of them stating the obvious, like “be optimistic” or “tell the truth.”

But most of us do not need the internet. The life (and legacy) of Dr. King is required reading for students across the globe. Here in the U.S., there are at least 110 schools named in his honor.

Quick background: Born in Atlanta in 1929, King received his PhD in theology from Boston University in 1955 - while also auditing philosophy courses over at Harvard University - en route to a pastorship in Montgomery, Alabama. He went on to organize nonviolent protests and boycotts, highlighted by the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and the 1963 March on Washington, preaching equal civil and economic rights for Black Americans.

He was assassinated outside his motel room in Memphis at the age of 39.

But for a complete education on his leadership, it is essential to look past biographical facts and focus on how he lived, and how he led.

Moral Foundations

While it is important to remember Dr. King was a preacher, his leadership went beyond any religion. He was a leader by example. He would not only preach about the importance of a good moral compass; he would live it. “All reality hinges on moral foundations,” he said. “There are moral laws of the universe just as abiding as the physical laws.” MLK abided.

He knew leadership meant involving as many people as possible, not just those who may be personally impacted. In fact, according to Dr. King, unless you are working towards a solution to a problem, you are enabling that problem. Or, more impassionately, “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”

On that same theme, in a speech given during the last year of his life, MLK appropriately exclaimed, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.”

The goal of this maxim is not to force guilt or blame. Instead, the hope is conflict resolution, which was always at the center of Dr. King’s power. For Dr. King, leadership is not putting people down so you can rise, but lifting up those around you. Accordingly, “Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”

Aristotle and MLK

To his credit, Dr. King recognized that many around him involved in the Civil Rights movement shared his power of persuasion. But he possessed an extraordinary gift with mass appeal.

He was a master communicator. This is why we use his own words when describing his leadership qualities. No other evidence would be sufficient. Listening to the audio of his speeches or watching the existing clips are the best sources.

His time as a pastor was undoubtedly crucial in mastering these public-facing skills. But his time in philosophy seminars was also instrumental. We can know this because of how closely his oratory talents match the rhetorical theories laid out by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. They are at the core of any speech given by Martin Luther King.

Rhetorical Skills

These theories are found in the appropriately titled Rhetoric, which dates back to the fourth century, B.C.E. In the work, Aristotle puts on his sophist hat to define the art of persuasion. There are three specific rhetorical methods that Aristotle investigates that will be the focus here, all exhibited by Dr. King.

The first approach is word repetition, the very simple idea of repeating words or phrases you want the audience to focus their attention on. It will usually highlight the topic or thesis of the speech. There is a reason Dr. King included the word freedom at least 20 times in his timeless ‘I Have a Dream’ oration, one of the greatest all time.

Metaphor, the next method, is seen well beyond public addresses. It is one of the most utilized devices in all of literature. However, It was Aristotle who first explicitly described this method in the area of rhetoric.

Dr. King applies this technique in speeches throughout his life, but you find it in the ‘Dream’ speech with dazzling imagery. For example, he proclaims that, “we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

The final rhetorical craft pulled directly from Aristotle is the three connecting ideas of logos, pathos, and ethos, which, taken together, act as a kind of roadmap for how to organize any persuasive speech.

This trifecta of terms have been at the forefront of speech writing since Aristotle stated their definitions, but few have used them more effectively than Dr. King. It does not take someone with the education of MLK to understand them.

To use pathos in a speech is to channel the emotional state of the audience. Getting angry because the listeners are angry, or asking the questions that the audience would, is how a speech has pathos. Conversely, ethos is for you - the one giving the speech - to disclose your character to the audience. The goal is for the audience to see you as worthy of empathy, and thus become persuaded by your speech.

Unlike the other two, logos cannot be directly translated from its original Greek into English. Loosely, it can be understood as logic. This is the ultimate form of persuasion; reasoning with the audience. It shows dignity, respect and love - the essence of Martin Luthur King, Jr.’s leadership excellence.