argument15 (thanks)

lunchwongUID: 175925

15.The following appeared in a newsletter offering advice to investors.
"Over 80 percent of the respondents to a recent survey indicated a desire to reduce their intake of foods containing fats and cholesterol, and today low-fat products abound in many food stores. Since many of the food products currently marketed by Old Dairy Industries are high in fat and cholesterol, the company's sales are likely to diminish greatly and their profits will no doubt decrease. We therefore advise Old Dairy stockholders to sell their shares and other investors not to purchase stock in this company."


  On the basis of the recent survey, the author of the article claims that the Old Dairy's sales are likely to diminish greatly and their profits will decrease, and then concludes that the stock in this company is not worthwhile to invest in. However, the author's reasoning suffers several alarmingly logical flaws.
  In the first place, it is logically unreasoning to claim that the profit of the company will decrease. Firstly, the author joins two things together to make it believable that high-fat Old Dairy industry is responsible for the decreasing profit. The on thing is come from the survey, which is that people desire to reduce their intake of foods containing fats and cholesterol, and today low-fat products abound in many food stores; another is that many of the food products currently marketed by Old Dairy Industries are high in fat and cholesterol. But, in fact, these do not necessarily prove that the high-fat industry caused the down profit. This is fallacious reasoning unless other possible causal explanations have been considered and ruled out. It is totally possible that the profit will increase by growing amount of international trade, marketing of the high-fat foods and some other ways.
  Even if the profit will decrease, it is unconvincing for the author to conclude that Old Dairy stockholders should to sell their shares and other investors should not to purchase stock in this company. No any compelling evidence has ever been provided to establish the relationship between profit and stock. Therefore, it is most likely a mistaken for investors to get out of the Old Dairy’s stock.
  In the second place, the incident that people desire to reduce their intake of foods containing fats and cholesterol, and today low-fat products abound in many food stores is dubious. The sample of the survey covered over 80 percent of the respondents. However, these people might be neither typical nor representative to all the population. If the population is 200 million, but only 100 people took the survey then the over 80 percent people are clearly insufficient to make the reasoning sound.
  Given above, the article in the newsletter is undermined by various logic fallacies. To better support this argument, it is necessary for the author to provide more information and to warrant his or her diverse assumptions.

staralwaysUID: 193479

On the basis of the recent survey, the author of the article claims that the Old Dairy's sales are likely to diminish greatly and their profits will decrease, and then concludes that the stock in this company is not worthwhile to invest in. However, the author's reasoning suffers several alarmingly logical flaws. [很简洁的开头。]

In the first place, it is logically unreasoning to claim that the profit of the company will decrease. Firstly, the author joins two things together to make it believable that high-fat Old Dairy industry is responsible for the decreasing profit. The one thing is come [coming] from the survey, which is that people desire to reduce their intake of foods containing fats and cholesterol, and today low-fat products abound in many food stores; another is that many of the food products currently marketed by Old Dairy Industries are high in fat and cholesterol. But, in fact, these do not necessarily prove that the high-fat industry caused the down profit. This is fallacious reasoning unless other possible causal explanations have been considered and ruled out. It is totally possible that the profit will increase by growing amount of international trade, marketing of the high-fat foods and some other ways. [这一段只有这最后一句是确确实实地在攻击，而前面的感觉作用不大。]

Even if the profit will decrease, it is unconvincing for the author to conclude that Old Dairy stockholders should to sell their shares and other investors should not to purchase stock in this company. No any compelling evidence has ever been provided to establish the relationship between profit and stock. [股价和公司利润还是有很直接的关系的。] Therefore, it is most likely a mistaken for investors to get out of the Old Dairy’s stock.

In the second place, the incident that people desire to reduce their intake of foods containing fats and cholesterol, and today low-fat products abound in many food stores is dubious. The sample of the survey covered over 80 percent of the respondents. However, these people might be neither typical nor representative to all the population. If the population is 200 million, but only 100 people took the survey then the over 80 percent people are clearly insufficient to make the reasoning sound. [这一段对于数据调查的攻击倒是还可以。]

Given above, the article in the newsletter is undermined by various logic fallacies. To better support this argument, it is necessary for the author to provide more information and to warrant his or her diverse assumptions. [结尾稍显单薄了些。]

感觉文章对于攻击的顺序没有组织好，另外正文前两段对于逻辑错误的攻击也不够深入。