Argument145 [【勇往直前】第11次作业nbta03

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145 - A new study collected data that shows that people who snore are more likely to gain weight than are people who do not snore. It is well known that many people who snore also stop breathing frequently during the night for a few seconds, a condition called sleep apnea. The interruption of breathing wakes the person-often so briefly that the waking goes unnoticed-and can leave the person too tired during the day to exercise. Anyone who snores, therefore, should try to eat less than the average person and to exercise more.
WORDS: 399          TIME: 00:30:00          DATE: 2007-7-30 21:17:16

In the argument, the arguer recommends that anybody who snores, should try to eat less than the average person and to do more sports. At first glance the argument seems to be appealing , while a careful examination reveals that it is fraught with vague, unwarranted assumptions.

In the first, the validity of the survey which shows that people who snore are more likely to gain weight than those do not snore is vague. The arguer provide no detailed data to show whether the people in the study represent an overall situation. If the people in the study is only a small portion of the whole, then it is misleading to draw any conclusion from it. Further more, the arguer unfairly assumes that the people gain more weight because of snoring. There are several major factors contribute to the weight gain other than snoring, such as diet habits, physical exercise etc. all of which are ignored by the arguer.

In addition, the arguer make a hasty generalization. Even if snoring causes the sleep apnea, it does not follow that the sleep apnea during the night leave the person too tired during the day to exercise. The conclusion turn out to be somewhat misleading since the arguer does not take other relevant factors into account. For example, too heavy work, insufficient food also help explain the tiredness during the day. All other possibilities should be considered and ruled out otherwise the conclusion cannot convince me.

Last but not least, granted that the weight gain and sleep apnea are the results of snoring, the arguer’s advice that “anyone who snores” should try to eat less and to exercise is nevertheless unwarranted. It is quite possible that most snorers do not suffer from sleep apnea, or are not too tired to exercise, or do not tend to gain weight. Then it is ridiculous for the arguer to ask every snorer to do as he or she claims. Without taking all these possibilities into account, the arguer cannot safely reach the conclusion.

To sum up, the argument lacks credibility because the evidence cited does not lend strong support to what the arguer claims. To strengthen the argument, the arguer would have to provide more evidence between the weigh gain and snoring. Additionally, the arguer also have to rule out all other possibilities that may cause the tiredness to make the argument logically acceptable.