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Workers in the small town of Leeville take fewer sick days than workers in the large city of Masonton, 50 miles away. Moreover, relative to population size, the diagnosis of stress-related illness is proportionally much lower in Leeville than in Masonton. According to the Leeville Chamber of Commerce, these facts can be attributed to the health benefits of the relatively relaxed pace of life in Leeville.
The speaker suggests that the workers' health is better in the small town of Leeville than in the large city of Masonton, based on the facts the workers in the former place take fewer sick days than in the latter place and the diagnosis of stress-related illness relative to population size is lower in Leeville than in Masonton. Furthermore, the author opines that the better health condition of workers in Leeville is due to the relatively relaxed pace of life there. The argument may seem somewhat reasonable at first glance, but close scrutiny reveals that it contains several unconvincing assumptions and is therefore unpersuasive.
First of all, the speaker automatically assumes that the health condition among workers in the small town of Leeville is better than in the large city of Masonton due to mere facts that the workers in the former place take fewer sick days than in the latter place and the diagnosis of stress-related illness relative to population size is lower in Leeville than in Masonton. However,there could be other reasonable alternative explanations for these two facts. Taking fewer sick days does not necessarily means better health condition. Maybe the companies and factories in the large city of Masonton have more rigid regulations for the workers' appeal for sick days' leaving, and the workers in Masonton may be harder to take sick days than those in the Leeville under the same health condition. Also, the lower diagnosis of stree-related illness in Leeville could be explained by the fact that the scope of definition in stress-related illness is wider in the mental health curing system in Masonton than in Leeville. Also, the mental health treatment system in Masonton may be more advanced than that in Leeville, and some of the stress-related illness in Leeville do not be detected. Without ruling out these possibilities and other alternative explanations, I cannot accept author's view that the health condition among workers in Leeville is better than that in Masonton.
Second, the author takes it for granted that the pace of life is relatively more relaxed in Leeville than in Masonton just because that Masonton is a larger city while Leeville is a small town. Although in the common sense that people in big cities are busier than thoes living in small cities. However, this may not always be the case. Maybe the workers in the small town of Leeville are doing some consequential manufactoring, like arsenal which cannot be located in large cities due to the safety consideration and is better placed in low-density population area as the small town. Manufactoring weapons is not an easier and more relaxed work thsn those workers doing regular works in the large cities. Without accounting for all other alternative explanations, the author cannot safely conclude that the pace of life is relatively more relaxed in the small town of Leeville than in the large city of Masonton.
Finally, even assuming that the workers' health is better in the small town of Leeville than in the large city of Masonton and the pace of life is relatively more relaxed in Leeville than in Masonton. The speaker may be too hastily conclude that the latter is the cause of the former due to the mere fact that the two facts coincide. The author fails to consider the possible difference between Leeville and Masonton that may lead to the same phenomenon. According to the statement, Masonton is 50 miles away from Leeville, so there could be apparent difference in environment and health care systems between the two places. Maybe the environment in Masonton is heavily polluted and the air there contain more detrimental particulate matter in which can be breathed in Masonton than in Leville, which cause the worse health condition in the large city. In addition, Maybe the health system in Masonton is less advanced and capable in curing both physical and mental health. This can also account for the fact that there are more sick workers and diagnosis of stress-related illness in Masonton than in Leeville. Without thinking about these reasonable explanations, we cannot accept the author's opinion that it is the relatively relaxed pace of life in Leeville that cause the difference between the workers in these two cities.
In sum, the author's view for the better health condition in Leeville than in Masonton and contribution of the relatively relaxed pace of life is not well supported. To convince me that her opinion is correct the author must provide clear stastical evidence that could unequivocally indicate that the health condition in Leeville is better than that in Masonton. To better evaluate the statement, I would need more information about the difference between Leeville and Masonton in the respects of environment, dominant business, and health care systems. |
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发表于 2012-12-4 23:35:17
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