**茶叶蛋炒饭**第十五次作业 ARG37 请组员跟帖

saybia1993UID: 2625112

占楼

澈透水痕rachelUID: 2868066

This argument is logically unconvincing in some aspects. Merely grounded on some unwarranted assumptions about natural environment in ancient time and some unrelated facts, it's too hasty for the author to draw the conclusion that Palea is not the only one which owned the so-called Palean baskets. The reasons are stated as follows.

To begin with, in the argument, the author unfaily indicates that the Brim River between Palea and Lithos is so deep and broad that ancient Paleans could not have crossed it without boat. There are two logical flaws in this indication. First, in Palean times, the Brim River may not be as deep as it is currently. It's highly possible that it was a creek in ancient time and with  the change of whether and terrain, maybe suffering heavy rain fall constantly in hundreds of years, the creek gradually become deeper and broader thus forming the Brim River we see now. For that matter, the ancient Paleans can easily came across the creek and brought the Palean basket to the village of Lithos. Second, even though the Brim River is deep and broad in acient time, it's still invalid to assume that the Paleans couldn't cross it. Although there's no evidence that Paleans had boats and boats capable of carrying groups of people and cargo were invented after thousands of years later, there are many other means by which the Paleans may arrived in Lithos. For example, they probably make a special broad or raft on purpose of crossing the river. Albeit simple and crude, its great function and practicability can't be ignored. When the weather is glorious, it's very likely to aross the river by the specially made rafts and broads.  Without more evidence to rule out these two logical flaws, hardly can we believe that the ancient Paleans can't cross the river in order to bring their baskets to Lithos.

In addition, the author assumes that there's no need to cross the river for that the woods around Palea are full of nuts, berries, and small game. It's also an unwarranted assumption. On the one hand, there's no guarantee that it's exactly the case thousands of years ago in Palea. Just as the situation of the Brim River mentioned above, with time passing by, the environment in Pelea may change gradually hence the acient Palea is likely to be wild and dangerous. On the other hand, even if Palea was really full of nuts, berries and small game thousands of years ago, other reasons other than food shortage may well result in the migration of Peleans. They may go across the river to explore the village of Lithos in order to expand living space for their later generations. Or perhaps they just go there for fun in curiosity. Also the Palean basket was just brought as a receptacle to store food and then left out there.

As shown above, this argument appeared to be a weak one. To strengthen the author's conclusion, more detailed research should be undertaken to find out the real environment around the ancient Pelea and Lithos. What's more, the author also needs to get more information about the acient Peleans' culture and living habits so as to comprehend whether the so called Palean baskets were unique to Palea.

greoge007UID: 2865153

In this argument the author concludes that Woven baskets were believed to have been not unique to the Palean people. To support the conclusion the author cites a discovery made by archaeologists. Moreover, he assumes that the Paleans people would have no need to cross the river. At first glance, the argument seems to be somewhat convincing, but further reflection of this argument, we find some critical logical flaws that seriously undermine the conclusion of the passage.

To begin with, the argument rests on the gratuitous assumption that Palean people cannot across the Brim River so that the Woven baskets cannot be brought to the Lithos. In fact the situation of Brim River is very deep and broad nowadays do not necessarily mean that in the ancient time the Brim River was also deep and broad. It is highly possible that the river in the past was narrow and easy to cross. So the Woven baskets can be brought to the other side--Lithos. That is to say the basket can be unique to ancient Paleans.

In the second place, even if granted that the ancient Paleans could not across the river, another problem that weakens the conclusion comes about. The argument fails to illuminate the Lithos people were the descendants of the ancient Paleans. So the techniques to make Woven baskets can be handed from generation to generation. Also, it is possible that the Lithos and Paleans people were once lived in the same areas and both of them know how to make the Woven baskets before the formation of the Brim River which set them separated.

In the third place, even if granted the foregoing evidence is correct. The author unfairly assumes that there is no need for Paleans people to cross the river, for the woods around Palea are full of nuts, berries and small game. This evidence lend little support to there is no need to cross the river. It is likely that they need to cross the river not for food but for some other things such as communication or celebration. Even if there is no need to cross the river, the author fails to demonstrate in the ancient time the woods around Palea were full of nuts, berries and small game.

To sum up, the author fails to substantiate his claim that Woven baskets not only belong to the Palean people, because the evidence cited in the argument lends little support to what the author maintained.  To better support the conclusion the author would have to demonstrate what was Brim River like in the past time. Additionally, he would have to show the details information between the Lithos and ancient Paleans. What is more he would have to prove that why Palean people have no need to cross the river. Only with more persuasive and thorough evidence could this argument be more logically acceptable.