The following appeared in a memorandum issued by a large city's council on the arts:
"In a recent citywide poll, 15 percent more residents said that they watch television programs about the visual arts
than was the case in a poll conducted five years ago. During these past five years, the number of people visiting our
city's art museums has increased by a similar percentage. Since the corporate funding that supports public television,
where most of the visual arts programs appear, is now being threatened with severe cuts, we can expect that
attendance at our city's art museums will also start to decrease. Thus some of the city's funds for supporting the arts
should be reallocated to public television."
Analysis:The art related activities are required to build human character. A visit to art museum or watching art related program allows a person to acquaint himself with various forms and types of arts past and present. It enhances not only one's intellect but also one's knowledge. In the abovementioned statement, the author claims that some of the public funds supporting art should be reallocated to the public television because peoples' interest in art has increased in last five year due to visual art programs on television, funded by companies, resulting increase in art museum visitors. Now, as corporate wants to cut its funding for public television, the city council is apprehensive of the consequences on the museum goers' volume as well. Though his claim may well have merit, the author presents a poorly reasoned argument, based on the several questionable premises and assumptions, based solely on evidence the author offers; we cannot accept his argument as valid.
The primary issue with the author's reasoning lies in his unsubstantiated premises that increased viewership of art programs have resulted in increase of art museum visitors. Although these increases coincide but there are no facts or stats provided to ratify them. The author's premises, the basis of his argument, lack any legitimate evidentiary support & render his conclusion unacceptable.
In addition, the author makes many assumptions that remain unproven like the cut in corporate funding for the public television which airs art programs will cause the loss of interest among the people who visits art museums. Therefore, art funding should be redirected towards public television to compensate any loss occurred due to this. The author weakens his argument by making assumptions and failing to provide explication of the links between corporate funding and reduction in the art museum goers he assumes exists.
While the author does have several key issues in his premises and assumptions of the argument that is not to say that the entire argument is without any base. To strengthen his argument author could have considered other factors like better management of museums, acquisition of more interesting artifacts or effective publicity of museums' salient features that may have caused that increase in visitors to the museum. Therefore, city council should increase public funds more towards strengthening the museum infrastructure and measures adding to the museums' appeal to the public. Though the author's argument has several issues at present, with research and clarification, he could improve his arguments significantly.
In sum, the author presents an illogical argument based on unsupported premises and unsubstantiated assumptions that render his conclusions invalid. If the author truly hopes to change his readers' minds, he largely needs to restructure the argument, fix the flaws in the logic, explicate the assumptions and provide the evidentiary support. Without these things, the author's poorly reasoned argument will likely to convince few people.
"In a recent citywide poll, 15 percent more residents said that they watch television programs about the visual arts
than was the case in a poll conducted five years ago. During these past five years, the number of people visiting our
city's art museums has increased by a similar percentage. Since the corporate funding that supports public television,
where most of the visual arts programs appear, is now being threatened with severe cuts, we can expect that
attendance at our city's art museums will also start to decrease. Thus some of the city's funds for supporting the arts
should be reallocated to public television."
Analysis:The art related activities are required to build human character. A visit to art museum or watching art related program allows a person to acquaint himself with various forms and types of arts past and present. It enhances not only one's intellect but also one's knowledge. In the abovementioned statement, the author claims that some of the public funds supporting art should be reallocated to the public television because peoples' interest in art has increased in last five year due to visual art programs on television, funded by companies, resulting increase in art museum visitors. Now, as corporate wants to cut its funding for public television, the city council is apprehensive of the consequences on the museum goers' volume as well. Though his claim may well have merit, the author presents a poorly reasoned argument, based on the several questionable premises and assumptions, based solely on evidence the author offers; we cannot accept his argument as valid.
The primary issue with the author's reasoning lies in his unsubstantiated premises that increased viewership of art programs have resulted in increase of art museum visitors. Although these increases coincide but there are no facts or stats provided to ratify them. The author's premises, the basis of his argument, lack any legitimate evidentiary support & render his conclusion unacceptable.
In addition, the author makes many assumptions that remain unproven like the cut in corporate funding for the public television which airs art programs will cause the loss of interest among the people who visits art museums. Therefore, art funding should be redirected towards public television to compensate any loss occurred due to this. The author weakens his argument by making assumptions and failing to provide explication of the links between corporate funding and reduction in the art museum goers he assumes exists.
While the author does have several key issues in his premises and assumptions of the argument that is not to say that the entire argument is without any base. To strengthen his argument author could have considered other factors like better management of museums, acquisition of more interesting artifacts or effective publicity of museums' salient features that may have caused that increase in visitors to the museum. Therefore, city council should increase public funds more towards strengthening the museum infrastructure and measures adding to the museums' appeal to the public. Though the author's argument has several issues at present, with research and clarification, he could improve his arguments significantly.
In sum, the author presents an illogical argument based on unsupported premises and unsubstantiated assumptions that render his conclusions invalid. If the author truly hopes to change his readers' minds, he largely needs to restructure the argument, fix the flaws in the logic, explicate the assumptions and provide the evidentiary support. Without these things, the author's poorly reasoned argument will likely to convince few people.
