argument76【0906G ANap Hand 作文互改小组】第4次作业 by vicky

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76.The following appeared as part of an article in a health and beauty magazine.

"A group of volunteers participated in a study of consumer responses to the new Luxess face cream. Every morning for a month, they washed their faces with mild soap and then applied Luxess. At the end of that month, most volunteers reported a marked improvement in the way their skin looked and felt. Thus it appears that Luxess is truly effective in improving the condition of facial skin."


This argument concludes that the condition of facial skin can be truly effective improved by Luxess. To justify- its conclusion, the author notes that during a study of consumer responses, a group of volunteers after washed their faces with mild soap and then applied Luxes for one month, most of them reported that they have a marked improvement in the way their skin looked and felt. I find this argument logically unconvincing in several respects.

First of all, as for the survey that the article cites, the author fails to introduce                  the details of this survey and the background of the volunteers. The details such as the total number, the age and the living environment of volunteers joined in the survey are all definitely influence to the outcome of the survey. For example, if only six or seven people participated in the survey, the total number cannot persuade people to believe that Luxess is truly effective in improving the condition of populate facial skin.

Second, the author falsely introduces the improvement of the volunteers. It need details prove the condition of facial skin really improving. Since the article fails to account for this alternative explanation for the improvement, the article’s author cannot make any sound conclusions that Luxess is truly useful to improving the condition of facial skin.

Finally, the improvement that the author cites is not necessarily due to the applied of Luxess. It is entirely possible that the other facts such as the psychological effect and the use of mild soap also effective in improving the condition of facial skin. Moreover, maybe the condition of skin do not improved but the volunteers felt better.

In sum, the argument is logically flawed and therefore unconvincing as it stands. To strengthen it the author must give more statistics and details of the survey and the improvement. And also the possibility of other facts which influence the condition of facial skin must be ruled out.