Asking the Right Questions, A Guide to Critical Thinking, 8th Ed

194 Chapter 14
5. What are the descriptive assumptions?
6. Are there any fallacies in the reasoning?
7. How good is the evidence?
8. Are there rival causes?
9. Are the statistics deceptive?
10. What significant information is omitted?
11. What reasonable conclusions are possible?
Asking the Right Questions: A Comprehensive Example
We first present a passage that summarizes one position with respect to whether
states should impose taxes to ensure that individuals maintain good health.
This section is followed by a lengthy discussion based on all 11 critical-thinking
questions.
Self-discipline seems to be extraordinarily difficult for us. One area in which we
see this lack of self-discipline is health, specifically with diet and exercise.
People too often lack motivation to exercise on a regular basis. Although individuals
typically think of exercise as a private matter, they are generally not
aware of the consequences of their apathy on the well-being of others. If people
were more aware of the detrimental effects that their not exercising has on
themselves and on other people as well, perhaps they would be more motivated
to visit the gym.
But they are not. Hence, we need something more than an appeal to self-discipline
to encourage healthy behavior. To fulfill this need, states should be permitted to
impose taxes on individuals, primarily those who are seriously overweight or obese,
for their failure to comply with state-mandated exercise and dieting programs.
Statistics show that only 3 out of 10 people exercise regularly. Unfortunately,
these individuals who do not exercise, in combination with their unhealthy eating
habits, have a higher risk of developing certain life-threatening illnesses, like
heart attacks, strokes, cancer, and diabetes. For instance, a diet that is high in fat
and cholesterol leads to a buildup in the arteries, potentially causing a heart
attack when the buildup occurs in an artery carrying blood to the heart, or causing
a stroke when the buildup restricts blood flow to the brain.
Similarly, exercise forces your heart to pump more blood, increasing your body's
efficiency and possibly reducing the bad cholesterol in your body that could clog
your arteries. But those persons who neglect healthier food and regular exercise
run a higher risk of developing these kinds of diseases. Regular exercise and