【0906G文以载道三月四月小组】第一周第二次作业 by leader2050

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Argument35 【0906G文以载道三月四月小组】第一周第二次作业 by leader2050

The following appeared in the summary of a study on headaches suffered by the residents of Mentis." Salicylates are members of the same chemical family as aspirin, a medicine used to treat headaches. Although many foods are naturally rich in salicylates, for the past several decades food-processing companies have also been adding salicylates to foods as preservatives. This rise in the commercial use of salicylates has been found to correlate with a steady decline in the average number of headaches reported by participants in our twenty-year study. Recently, food-processing companies have found that salicylates can also be used as flavor additives for foods. With this new use for salicylates, we can expect a continued steady decline in the number of headaches suffered by the average citizen of Mentia."

翻译：水杨酸酯和用来治疗头痛的药物--阿司匹林是同一类化合物。尽管很多食品天然富含水杨酸酯，过去几十年中食品加工公司仍然在食品中加入它来作为防腐剂。这种水杨酸酯在商业上的使用被发现与我们为期20年研究的参加者所报告的头痛发病的平均数量下降是相关的。最近，食品加工公司发现水杨酸酯也可以被用作食品香料。根据这种水杨酸酯的新用途，我们可以预期Mentia居民患头痛症的数量将会持续稳步下降。

提纲：

1 Sufficiency： 水杨酸酯未必就是治疗头痛的药物。

2 False Cause：有其他可能使头痛发病数量降低，并非全部因为水杨酸酯。

3 One Sidedness：  有其他因素可能导致头痛，不一定稳步下降。

In this argument, the arguer concludes that the number of headaches suffered by the average residents of Mentia would decline owing to salicylates, which are members of the same chemical family as aspirin. To support the conclusion, the arguer cites a long-term research reported by the participants which shows the high correlation between the steady decline in the average number of headaches and the new use of salicylates. This argument is logically flawed in several critical respects.

First of all, the member of the same chemical family as aspirin does not necessarily indicate that salicylates conduct the equivalent pharmacological functions like aspirins, which are used to treat headaches. Although salicylates and aspirins are in the same chemical family with the similar tissue structures, they could own different chemical character and produce dissimilar pharmacological effect. Perhaps salicylates just own the semblable surface like aspirins, but they engender no treatment on headaches or even contrary chemical functions. Without offering detailed researches for salicylates and aspirins, the arguer can not convince me on the basis of them that salicylates and aspirins has the same chemical functions.

Secondly, even if salicylates can product the similar pharmacological functions as aspirins, the argument also assumes unfairly that the steady decline in the number of headaches is the result of the new use of salicylates. The arguer ignores a host of other possible explanations for the decline, such as the improvement of the atmosphere in Mentia, higher life quality and healthier life style in Mentia. Besides, the decline in the number of headaches reported by the participants can not be equated with there exists a same decline in the number of headaches actually. It is entirely possible that some headaches have not been reported by the participants due to several private reasons. Without accounting for other possible explanations for the decline in the number of headaches, the arguer can not justify the conclusion that the new use of salicylates lead to this steady decline.

Thirdly, even if the new use of salicylates causes the steady decline in the average number of headaches, the arguer’s assertion that there will be a continued steady decline in the number of headaches suffered by residents in Mentia is still unwarranted. The arguer overlooks a myriad of other possible factors which cause residents in Mentia have headaches, such as a tremendous social tumult occurring in next few years, or more fierce competence in job career which trigger higher working pressure in daily life. These swarm of negative factors actually offset the positive effect from the salicylates. In other words, even if salicylates are able to engender a steady decline in the number of headaches suffered by Mentia’s residents, the length of this decline would not necessarily be continued and lasting.

In sum, the arguer’s conclusion is unpersuasive as it stands. To strengthen it the arguer must provide further study in the functions of salicylates and aspirins, more evidence to prove the cause-and-effect relationships between the new use of salicylates and the decline in the number of headaches. To better assess the argument I would need to analyze other factors might affect residents’ headaches.