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Argument
In this argument, the author concludes that… To support his position, s/he points out that…. In addition, s/he reasons that… Furthermore, s/he also assumes that … At first glance, this argument appears to be somehow appealing. Nonetheless, through a closer examination, we can easily figure out how groundless it is. To demonstrate, it is problematic / ill conceived in the following aspects.
In the first place, this argument rests on an erratic assumption that …. The author unfairly assumes that…. However, the assumption is questionable because the author provides little evidence to support this argument. S/he fails to take into account other factors that might contribute to the result that …….. It is likely that … Likewise, it is also probable that … Any of these scenarios, if true, would clarify that … Therefore, this argument is unwarranted if such possibilities are not ruled out.
In the second place, the argument commits a serious logical fallacy which is characterized as “after this and therefore because of this”. In no case can the mere fact that … be cited as evidence to justify the assumption that there is a causal-effect relationship between A and B. Moreover, it does not necessarily mean that A is the cause of B just because B can be statistically correlated with A. As a matter of fact, the author has obviously neglected the possibility of other alternative elements such as … or … may contribute to B to a certain extent. It may be only a coincidence that … The causal-effect relationship between A and B can not be accepted unless these other influential factors relevant to … are eliminated,
In the third place, the evidence provided is inadequate to lend a support to the conclusion drawn from it. It is imprudent to reach a general conclusion from merely one example that A … Unless the author can clarify that A1 is representative of all A, the conclusion that … is completely unjustifiable. In fact, in face of such limited evidence, it is fallacious to draw any conclusion at all.
In the fourth place, the argument also commits the false analogy fallacy. The argument is based on the unwarranted assumption that A is analogous to B in all respects, that is, the author takes it for granted that all conditions are equal. What’s worse, s/he presumes without verification that the conditions have not altered as time goes by or the locale changes. There is, however, no guarantee that this assumption is confirmed. Lacking this assumption, the conclusion that … is entirely unfounded. In fact, it is highly doubtful that the facts drawn from B are applicable to A. Differences between A and B clearly outweigh the similarities so much that the analogy is anything but valid. For instance, A..., however, B... Thus, it is much more difficult / less likely for B to do ...
In addition, the conclusion of this argument unjustifiably relies on the survey while the validity of the survey itself is doubtful. The survey cited by the author is too vague to be informative. It is not indicated who conducted the survey. Nor is it stated when and how the survey is conducted, let alone who respond to the survey. The results of the survey are worthless as evidence to prove that …until these questions are answered.
Besides, the author accepts without justification that A and B are mutually exclusive alternatives. However, no reasons or evidence have ever been offered for imposing an either choice. We can naturally tell through observation and common sense that allying A and B might produce better consequences. |
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