Argument26 四海一家小组第一次作业

moonappleUID: 2271248

Argument26   The following appeared in a memo from the chairperson of the school board in the town of Saluda.

"For the past five years, Mr. Charles Schade has been the music director at Steel City High School, and during that time the school band from Steel City High has won three regional band competitions. In addition, the quality of the music rehearsal facilities and musical instruments at Steel City High has improved markedly over the past five years. Because of such successes at Steel City High, the Saluda school board should hire Mr. Schade to plan and direct the general music education programs for the entire Saluda school system."


The argument discusses the proposition whether the Saluda school should hire Mr. Schade to take charge of the general music education programs. A series of achievement of Mr. Schade is mentioned: the Steel City High School has won three regional band competitions and at the same time the music rehearsal facilities and musical instruments of the school has improved outstandingly during Mr. Schade's five years as the school music director. Apparently the argument is unconvincing due to some critical fallacies.

Firstly, it is significant to figure out the two main support evidences mentioned above really is caused by Mr. Schade's excellent management. The arguer obviously says nothing about the causal relationship between them. According to the statement, the school band achievement and Mr. Schade's working as director is merely concurrence, and two things happened at the same time do not mean one is the direct reason for the other. Consider the background which the argument has not referred to: if the Steel City High School is a one with good music tradition history, giving first admitting priority to those who have music groundwork, and at times won five regional band competitions in five years. Compared with this background, Mr. Schade's work is not that outstanding.

Similarly, is the improvement and accomplishment that the Steel City High School arrives definitely is Mr. Schade's work? The arguer is to some extent flatly. The improvement of school music rehearsal facilities and instruments in some cases has nothing to do with a director's ability. Actually it is easy to do when the school policy or the financially condition permits. As a result, strictly speaking, the change happened during Mr. Schade's work time have no immediate impact on his capacity as a music director.

Additionally, the arguer commits a fallacy that analogy the two working position falsely. A school music director is not totally like a planner and director of the general music education programs to some degree. Just like the reed can grow well in water while wither in forest, the two schools in different places provide two conditions for Mr. Schade including school regulation, financial policy, and discipline distribution and so on. There are a large number of relevant factors that the arguer ignores. Few reasons present that success in Steel City High School means Mr. Schade's success at anywhere, even in a precisely different place.

In summary, the argument is based on only two apparently achievements of Mr. Schade, with a built-in concurrence flaw and false analogy mistake and in short of evidence as well. Without further analysis about the relationship in the argument and more detail about Mr. Schade's work accomplishment, the argument fails to deliver on its premise.


[ 本帖最后由 moonapple 于 2007-2-1 11:44 编辑 ]