Argument 140为我所用第七次作业

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TOPIC: ARGUMENT140 - The following appeared in a report of the Committee on Faculty Promotions and Salaries at Elm City University.

"During her seventeen years as a professor of botany, Professor Thomas has proved herself to be well worth her annual salary of $50,000. Her classes are among the largest at the university, demonstrating her popularity among students. Moreover, the money she has brought to the university in research grants has exceeded her salary in each of the last two years. Therefore, in consideration of Professor Thomas' demonstrated teaching and research abilities, we recommend that she receive a $10,000 raise and a promotion to Department Chairperson; without such a raise and promotion, we fear that Professor Thomas will leave Elm City University for another college."
WORDS: 453          TIME: 0:29:35          DATE: 2008-3-31                17错

In this report, the committee concludes that in order to prevent Professor Thomas from leaving Elm City University for another college, we recommend that she should receive a $10,000 raise and a promotion to Department Chairperson. To make this argument persuadable, the committee indicates that Her classes are among the largest at the university and that she has brought money exceeding her salary in each of the last two years. However, this argument suffers several logic flaws, discussed as follows.

The major problem of the conclusion is that the committee presumptuously claims that Thomas is unsatisfied with his salary or position and will leave Elm City University. But they do not provide any evidence that proves such will of Professor Thomas. Maybe she works so happily and easily at Elm City University that she does not want to leave or perhaps she leaves the university not for salary and position but for other things like academic ambience. Either of the scenarios, if true, can make the measures recommended by the committee either redundant or futile, which largely undermine this argument.

In addition, the committee hastily concludes that she is popular among students for the reason that her class are among the largest at the university. However, such reason can not be seen as reliable. Maybe her class is a compulsory class which needs all the students related to the major to participate. Or perhaps most of the students who select her class are insipid with her teaching but can not cancel their selections. Lacking of sufficient evidence, I can not believe her class is popular.
Further more, the committee points out she brought a lot of money in each of the last two years to show her contribution to the school. However, they fails to give information about the conditions in this year and in the future, which makes me suspect about such contribution's sustaining. Without showing such trend will continue in the future, the committee can not persuade me to consider she is worth receiving a $10,1000 raise.

Finally, the committee recommends promote her to be the Department Chairperson. However, they ignore the differences between her academic ability and her managing ability. Maybe she lack of such managing ability to be a chairperson. Unless they can prove she is suitable and able to be a chairperson, I can not think this recommend convincing.

To sum up, this argument is unreasonable as it stands. To support the argument, the committee should give information that shows Professor Thomas is not satisfied with the salary or position and will leave now. To strengthen the argument, I must know she is really worth a $10,000 raise and has the ability to be a Department Chairperson.