Argument 76
A new report suggests that men and women experience pain very differently from one another,
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and that doctors should consider these differences when prescribing pain medications. When
researchers administered the same dosage of kappa options--- a painkiller---to 28 men and 20
women who were having their wisdom teeth extracted, the women reported feeling much less
pain than the men, and the easing of pain lasted considerably longer in women. This research
suggests that kappa opioids should be prescribed for women whenever pain medication is
required, whereas men should be given other kinds of pain medication. In addition,
researchers should reevaluate the effects of all medications on men versus women.
This argument condudes that the pain medication kappa opioids (KO) should be prescribed
for women but not for men. To support this condusion the speaker cites a recent study
involving 28 men and 20 women who took KO when having wisdom teeth removed; according
to these patients’ reports, the women felt less pain than the men, and for the women the easing
of pain lasted longer. The argument is flawed in several important respects.
One problem with the argument is that since the study involved only 48 people it is
impossible to confidently draw any conclusions about the general population from it.
Specifically, the argument overlooks other possible reasons why these particular women
reported less pain than the men did. The women in the study might have a
higher-than-average pain threshold; conversely, the men in the study might have a
lower-than-average pain threshold. Or perhaps this group of women are less prone to
complain about pain than this group of men---due to their unusually stoical nature or their
experience with painful medical procedures.
Another problem with the argument is that it overlooks other factors that might have
contributed to the amount of pain these patients experienced. Perhaps the women’s wisdom
teeth were not as impacted as the men’s teeth generally, so that for the women the surgery
was not as invasive and painful. Perhaps some of the women took other medications as well to
help relieve the pain. For that matter, some of the men might have taken certain foods or
medications that counteracted the effects of KO. In short, unless the experiment was
conducted in a controlled environment in which all factors were the same for the men as for the
women, it is impossible to draw any firm conclusions about the comparative effectiveness of
KO for the two sexes.Even if KO is more effective for women than for men, the argument’s conclusion that men
should take another pain medication instead is unwarranted. It is entirely possible that KO is
still the most effective pain medication for men. Without comparing the effectiveness of KO to
that of other pain medications, the speaker simply cannot justify his recommendation that men
avoid KO.
In sum, the argument has not convinced me that men should take a medication other than
KO for pain. To strengthen the argument the speaker must assure me that the men and
women in the study are representative of men and women generally--in terms of their dental
profile, experience in handling pain, and willingness to recognize and report pain. The speaker
must also assure me that the study was performed in a controlled environment where all other
factors possibly affecting pain remained constant. To better assess the argument I would need
to know how effective KO is compared to other medications in reducing pain for men.
Argument 77
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The following is a recommendation from the dean at Foley College, a small liberal arts college,
to the president of the college.
"Since college-bound students are increasingly concerned about job prospects after
graduation, Foley College should attempt to increase enrollment by promising to find its
students jobs after they graduate. Many administrators feel that this strategy is a way for Foley
to compete against larger and more prestigious schools and to encourage students to begin
preparing for careers as soon as they enter college. Furthermore, a student who must choose
a career path within his or her first year of college and who is guaranteed a job after graduation
is more likely to successfully complete the coursework that will prepare him or her for the
future."The dean of Foley College claims that by guaranteeing prospective students that they will
obtain jobs immediately upon graduation Foley can increase its enrollment and more
effectively compete against more prestigious schools. To support this assertion the dean
claims that students who commit early to a course of study and are guaranteed eventual
employment are more likely to complete that coursework and will be better prepared for the
future. On several grounds, however, the dean’s argument is unconvincing.
First of all, the argument assumes that providing this guarantee will in fact result in
increased enrollment. However, the dean provides no evidence that this will be the case. It is
entirely possible that the sort of student attracted to Foley in the first place would not find such
a guarantee a particularly enticing feature. In fact, since Foley is a liberal arts college its
students are more likely to be interested in graduate-level study rather than immediate
employment upon graduation.
Secondly, the dean provides no support for the claim that because of the proposed
guarantee Foley students would be more likely to successfully complete the coursework they
choose as entering freshman. To the contrary, experience and common sense inform us that
while in college students often change their minds about their best career direction.
Accordingly, by requiting an early commitment to a course of study Foley might be doing its
students a disservice in terms of helping them select the course of study that they are most
likely to complete successfuUy.
Thirdly, the dean provides no support for the final conclusion that the earlier a student’s
commitment to a course of study the better prepared the student will be for the future. It is
entirely possible that exploring diverse options during the first year or two of college is a better
way to prepare for one’s future by providing the sort of well-rounded education that one might
need for career flexibility. Without addressing this issue the dean cannot justifiably conclude
that the proposed guarantee will better prepare Foley students for the funxre.
In conclusion, the argument is unconvincing as it stands. To strengthen it the dean must
provide statistical evidence that college students who commit early to a course of study or who
are promised eventual employment in that field are more likely than other college students to
succeed in college and in their careers. Finally, to better evaluate the argu ment, we would
need more information about why prospective students apply to Foley in the first place.
Argument 78