The following appeared in the letters-to-the-editor section of a local newspaper:
“Muscle Monthly, a fitness magazine that regularly features pictures of bodybuilders using state-of-the-art exercise machines, frequently sells out, according to the owner of Skyview Newsstand. To help maximize fitness levels in our town’s residents, we should, therefore, equip our new community fitness center with such machines.”
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.
I concede that the fitness magazine Muscle Monthly frequently sells out, the owner says. However, I believe equipping our new community fitness center with such machines would be a boon to local residents. ’I find it hard to agree with this conclusion. While it may be true that the fitness center regularly sells out, I strongly suspect that the crowdedness of the room is due to the large number of people working out, not the popularity of the machines themselves. Furthermore, the machines in question are not state-of-the-art technology; they are ordinary gym equipment that can easily be found and used by anyone
To begin, I note that, based on the magazine’s owner’s statement, it appears that he assumes that the number of machines is the cause of the room’s overcrowding. However, this assumption is flawed. The fitness center could hold as many machines as the owner desires. The increase in membership to the club has been steady enough over the years that the owner cannot attribute the overcrowding to a lack of machines. Instead, it appears to be a case of too many people using the same facilities at the same time. The owner of the gym, as well as the local residents, would be much better served if they limited the number of available machines to a reasonable number, if the room could be divided in half to make two smaller rooms instead of one larger room, or if the machines could be moved to another part of the facility
I agree that having state-of-the-art exercise equipment would be a boon to local residents. However, there are several reasons why this argument is not well reasoned. To begin with, the machines in question are not state-of-the-art. The fitness center, like many gyms, uses standard equipment for its members. While these machines are not top of the line, they are sufficient for most individuals. The people I see in the fitness center may be bodybuilders, but they could just as easily be the overweight and out of shape. The state-of-the-art equipment would not get them results nearly as quickly, if at all, as using the most basic of machines. Furthermore, the machines mentioned do not even seem to be the best quality available. The owner of the fitness center stated that he believed the machines to be state-of-the-art, but this statement is impossible to verify. It would seem that the owner, if indeed he is correct, simply paid a low price for the machines in the hope that they would impress potential members. However, the members would have no way of knowing this; after all, it does not appear that he advertises his fitness center in any way. So, if the machines do turn out to be inferior, the members would have to either endure substandard equipment, or increase their dues to pay for more top-of-the-line machines
In conclusion, while it is possible that equipping the fitness center with modern exercise equipment would attract more members, the owner’s argument that doing so would be a boon to the local residents is flawed. The real reason the community center is overcrowded is because the local residents are exercising. Offering state-of-the-art equipment would not solve the underlying problem.