Here is the argument essay:
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Prompt:
The following appeared as part of an editorial in a campus newspaper:
"With an increasing demand for highly skilled workers, this nation will soon face a serious labor shortage. New positions in technical and professional occupations are increasing rapidly, while at the same time the total labor force is growing slowly. Moreover, the government is proposing to cut funds for aid to education in the near future."
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion, be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion. (used with permission from mba.com)
My response:
The author's conclusion that the nation will soon face a serious labor shortage due to the evidence that the goverment is proposing to cut funds for aid to eduation and the rise in technical and professional occupations relies on a few assumptions. In relying on these assumpitions, the argument is very flawed.
One assumption that the author of this editorial is relying on is the that techinical and professional occupations represent the total labor force. Other idustries and occupations are not even mentioned. If service industry jobs are decreasing rapidly and plenty of those people are becoming laid off and out of work, some of them may be able to transfer into some of these professional and technical occupations.
He also relies on the assumption that a decrease in funds for aid to education directly limits the workforce. He provides no proof and no examples to tie education to the labor force. Perhaps the positions that are opening in the technical and professional occupations do not require a high level of education.
This assumptions need to be accounted for. If the author were to provide some proof that technical and professional occupations rising are indicitive of the total job market, perhaps with some infomation such as: "and no other idustries or occupations are seeing any decrease in new positons" his arugment would be more compelling. Also, he needs to tie education to the labor force. He could do this with some evidence, which shows that these new positions all require a certain level of education.
However, without adding evidence to support these assumptions, the argument is not well reasoned and in fact, very flawed.
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Prompt:
The following appeared as part of an editorial in a campus newspaper:
"With an increasing demand for highly skilled workers, this nation will soon face a serious labor shortage. New positions in technical and professional occupations are increasing rapidly, while at the same time the total labor force is growing slowly. Moreover, the government is proposing to cut funds for aid to education in the near future."
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion, be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion. (used with permission from mba.com)
My response:
The author's conclusion that the nation will soon face a serious labor shortage due to the evidence that the goverment is proposing to cut funds for aid to eduation and the rise in technical and professional occupations relies on a few assumptions. In relying on these assumpitions, the argument is very flawed.
One assumption that the author of this editorial is relying on is the that techinical and professional occupations represent the total labor force. Other idustries and occupations are not even mentioned. If service industry jobs are decreasing rapidly and plenty of those people are becoming laid off and out of work, some of them may be able to transfer into some of these professional and technical occupations.
He also relies on the assumption that a decrease in funds for aid to education directly limits the workforce. He provides no proof and no examples to tie education to the labor force. Perhaps the positions that are opening in the technical and professional occupations do not require a high level of education.
This assumptions need to be accounted for. If the author were to provide some proof that technical and professional occupations rising are indicitive of the total job market, perhaps with some infomation such as: "and no other idustries or occupations are seeing any decrease in new positons" his arugment would be more compelling. Also, he needs to tie education to the labor force. He could do this with some evidence, which shows that these new positions all require a certain level of education.
However, without adding evidence to support these assumptions, the argument is not well reasoned and in fact, very flawed.
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