Argument200 【GREAW 小组第13次作业】有拍必回

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TOPIC: ARGUMENT200 - Statistics collected from dentists indicate that three times more men than women faint while visiting the dentist. This evidence suggests that men are more likely to be distressed about having dental work done than women are. Thus, dentists who advertise to attract patients should target the male consumer and emphasize both the effectiveness of their anesthetic techniques and the sensitivity of their staff to nervous or suffering patients.
WORDS: 386          TIME: 0:34:25          DATE: 2007-8-19

In this argument, the author recommends that dentists should target the male consumer and emphasize both the effectiveness of their anesthetic techniques and the sensitivity of their staff to nervous of suffering patients. To support this recommendation, the author also cites the facts that three times more men than women faint while visiting the dentist and men are more likely to be distressed about having dental work done than women are. The argument seems reasonable at the first glance, however, after close scrutiny, several flaws become apparent.

First, a problem with the argument involves the reliability of the statistics. The author provides no evidence that the number of respondents is statistically significant or that the respondents were representative of all the patients in general. Lacking such evidence, it is entirely possible that the number of the patients is too small and the faint ones happened to be males. In short, without better evidence that the survey is statistically reliable, the author cannot rely on it to draw any firm conclusion.

Secondly, even though the male patients are easy to faint, it does not mean that it is caused by distress. There are other factors which may take effect. Maybe they too were nervous and afraid that they fainted when treated. Maybe they have some illness else that can make then faint, and it happen to occur when they were treated by the dentist. Without considering all the possibilities, the author can not make any firm conclusion.

Thirdly, the author assumes that the advertisement will help them to attract patients. However, there is no evidence to identify it. Maybe in this area, advertisement in not consider useful, or perhaps people hold that good dentists do not need advertisement to boast themselves. So advertisement may take the passive effect.

In conclusion, the argument lacks credibility because the evidence cited in the analysis does not lend strong support to what the author maintains. To strengthen it, the author should provide more information about the progress of the statistics and the number of patients who have taken part in. To better evaluate it, we would need more information about the patients' conditions and make sure the faintness is indeed the result of distress cause by the treatment. And we also need to know that the effect of advertisement in this area.