Argument182 v6 8.22

dinddind2003UID: 196353

Argument182  第1篇 让砖头来得更猛烈些吧！
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作者：寄托家园作文版普通用户     共用时间：29分14秒     384 words
从2005年7月22日15时58分到2005年7月22日16时29分
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Butter has now been replaced by margarine in Happy Pancake House restaurants throughout the southwestern United States. Only about 2 percent of customers have complained, indicating that 98 people out of 100 are happy with the change. Furthermore, many servers have reported that a number of customers who still ask for butter do not complain when they are given margarine instead. Clearly, either these customers cannot distinguish margarine from butter, or they use the term 'butter' to refer to either butter or margarine. Thus, to avoid the expense of purchasing butter, the Happy Pancake House should extend this cost-saving change to its restaurants in the southeast and northeast as well.
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In this argument the author claims that the Haply Pancake House(HP) should extend the change that butter have been replaced by margarine in other places, to reach the assertion the author mainly point out that only a few customers complained about that butter have been replaced by margarine while the others are happy in HP. However there are several problems with the assertion.

First, the author gives a false dilemma because the fact that 2 percent of customers have complained and the assumption that 98 people out of 100 are happy are not necessarily mutually alternatives. It is possible that most of the other 98 percent customer did not complain to the restaurant although they are unhappy. Thus, lacking the attitude of the other 98 percent of the customers, the author can not conclude that these people are content with the change.

Secondly, the author ignores the other possibility that why a number of customers who still ask for butter do not complain when they are given margarine instead, it is possible that they can tell margarine from butter clearly and they do not use the term 'butter' to refer to either butter or margarine, but they do not want to argue with the restaurant when they found that they were cheated. Thus, lacking the evidence that clearly describes the mind of the customers, the author's conclusion about the customers pales.

Finally, granted that the problems mentioned above do not exist, the author still fails to equal the condition caused the success in HP with that in the southeast and northeast. Perhaps the customers in other places do not like margarine, and they can tell margarine from butter clearly. Thus, without the evidence which can tell that the necessary condition in HP are the same with the other places, the author can not convince me that the same change in HP can also cause success in the other places.

In sum, to role out the problems mentioned above to better reach the conclusion, the author at least need clearer evidence including following: evidence that can show the attitude of the other 98 percent of the customers; evidence that clearly describe the mind of the customers about butter and margarine; the evidence can tell that the necessary condition in HP are the same with the other places.