The argument above concludes that Ketner Springs is the best location to move a business, open an office, or open a factory. It supports this assertion by drawing attention to features such as the community's transportation system, the notable parks and recreation department, and the family friendly environment. However, this conclusion is based on faulty premises and assumptions that, under scrutiny, to not justify the mayor's claim that Ketner Springs is the best place to move a business.The following appeared in a mayor's welcome notes to the members of a conference:
On behalf of everyone here in Ketner Springs, welcome to our blossoming community. We trust that you will find that Ketner Springs is the ideal place to locate your business, on account of our renowned transportation system and our award-winning parks and recreation department. Families love living here, as our schools have the lowest student-to-teacher ratio in the state and our restaurants boast more kiddie menu options than you can find anywhere in the country. If you need a place to locate your business or open a new office or factory, you'll find the perfect locale here in Ketner Springs.
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.
First, the passage mentions that the reason Ketner Springs is the best place for a business is because of the transportation system and the parks and recreation department without further explaining why these would be assets for all businesses. It makes the assumption that all businesses would need those two features to be successful. Since this is not always the case, this reasoning is faulty. For example, a car service company could move to Ketner Springs but then be unprofitable since the public transportation system is already so efficient. If the mayor could elaborate on the uses of the transportation system and the parks and recreation department in how they actually aid all businesses, the argument would be strengthened.
Furthermore, the argument asserts that families love living in Ketner Springs because of the student to teacher ratio at schools and the family-friendly environment at restaurants. While at first glance these assertions look valid, upon closer inspection one can see the fault in this logic. Primarily, the mayor points out that the ratio between students and teachers is the lowest in the state. There is no context here since the argument does not provide the state's statistics. The state could have a 100 to 1 ratio and Ketner Springs could have a 99 to 1 ratio, which doesn't make it that much better than the state. This also goes for the kid-friendly menus at restaurants. The idea of "more options" could range from 1 item to 100 items depending on what the average is across the country. By introducing more relevant statistics about the state and the country, the Mayor could better support his conclusion.
Finally, the Mayor asserts that this is an ideal place for factories. However, the community could greatly be changed if factories come into play. They could ruin the family friendly and safe environment Ketner Springs hopes to nurture. For example, if a large oil refinery came to town, it might pollute the air and poison the water. On the other hand, the geographical elements of the community might not be ideal for all types of factories. Therefore, it might make sense for the argument to define these parameters to solidify its conclusion.
In sum, the argument above uses many unfounded premises and assumptions to justify its claim that Ketner Springs is the ideal place for new businesses to open. However, the argument can be strengthened by justifying the evidence using the suggestions above.
