Argument105 [April作文互助小组]第一次作业yzl_1988

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TOPIC: ARGUMENT105 - The following appeared in a health newsletter.

"According to a recent study, people with many social ties report catching colds less often than do people with few social ties. Consequently, researchers conclude that having an active social life probably helps strengthen the immune system. The researchers note that catching a cold-one of a family of highly contagious viruses-gives the cold-sufferer temporary immunity to that virus in the future, but not to the many other related viruses. Merely being exposed to a new cold virus, however, is not enough for a person to catch a cold, since a strong immune system can successfully fight off some new viruses. Thus, in order to prevent catching a cold, people should strengthen their immune systems by becoming more active socially."

In this argument, the arguer concludes that becoming more active in socially will prevent catching cold. To support the conclusion, the arguer the arguer cites a recent study that people who are more active are less susceptible to cold. In addition, the arguer points out that more active in society will strengthen your immune system and a strong immune system will prevent catching cold. However, the argument suffers from several critical fallacies.

First of all, the study cited by the author saying that people attending more social activities reported less suffering from cold has not supported the author’s conclusion. The result of the study provided by the author is too vague to be convincing. To better support the conclusion, concrete data must be provide. Also, there might be other factors that affect the study. It is possible that only the ones who have strong immune system attend social activity frequently, the ones who a more likely to catch cold is not willing to attend in social actives. Thus, I will not accept the conclusion only if additional evidence including more samples consisting most conditions are offered.

Second, even I concede that people who attend more social activities have less probability to suffer from cold; there were fallacies in the explanation provided by the author. The author says that exposed to a new cold virus is not enough for a person to catch a cold, because a strong immune system can successfully fight off some new viruses. Also, the speaker asserts that by engaging in more social activities, which will cause contagious with diverse kinds of viruses, rendering the immune system stronger, therefore, the ability to fight for cold improves. Thus, according to the author, it is the suffering of a great kind of cold viruses that prevent people from catching cold. It does not explain the study, but puts out a ridiculous explanation.

Finally, the author committed cause-effect fallacies in the conclusion. The author regards becoming more active socially as the cause of a strong immune system, and the strong immune system as the cause of prevention of catching cold. But, there is no causal relationship between the social active and prevention of catching cold. Even the study implies that people with many social ties catch cold. There should be evidence on the causal relational ship of more social active and prevention of catching cold.
To sum up, the author fails to cite enough evidence to prove the relationship between the prevention of catching cold and social activities ties. Also he fails to explain the result logically. If the author wants the argument to be more convincible, he would give us more information and study facts to prove his conclusion.
小弟第一篇，请大家指正。

[ 本帖最后由 yzl_1988 于 2008-4-3 19:09 编辑 ]