The following appeared in a memorandum from the president of Aurora, a company that sells organic milk (milk produced without the use of chemical additives):
"Sales of organic food products in this country have tripled over the past five years. If Aurora is to profit from this continuing trend, we must diversify and start selling products such as organic orange juice and organic eggs in addition to our regular product line. With the recent increase of articles in health magazines questioning the safety of milk and other food products, customers are even more likely to buy our line of organic products. And to help ensure our successful expansion, we should hire the founder of a chain of health-food stores to serve as our vice president of marketing."
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.
Write the essay now!
- The following was excerpted from the speech of a spokesperson for Synthetic Farm Products, Inc.:"Many farmers who invested in the equipment needed to make the switch from synthetic to organic fertili
- The following appeared in the editorial section of a local newspaper:"The profitability of Croesus Company, recently restored to private ownership, is a clear indication that businesses fare better u
- The following is taken from an editorial in a local newspaper Over the past decade the price per pound of citrus fruit has increased substantially Eleven years ago Megamart charged 15 cents a pound for lemons but today it commonly charges over a dollar a 100
- The following appeared as part of an article in the book section of a newspaper:"Currently more and more books are becoming available in electronic form—either free-of-charge on the Internet or for
- The following appeared in a memorandum from the director of marketing for a pharmaceutical company:"According to a survey of 5,000 urban residents, the prevalence of stress headaches increases with e