Analysis of an argument--art and music
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21 Jan 2011, 06:18
hello,
Please rate my argument
ESSAY QUESTION:
The following appeared in a medical magazine:
"Art and music have long been understood to have therapeutic effects for individuals who suffer from either physical or mental illnesses. However, most doctors rarely recommend to patients some form of art or music therapy. Instead, doctors focus almost all of their attention on costly drug treatments and invasive procedures that carry serious risks and side-effects. By focusing on these expensive procedures rather than low-cost treatments such as art and music therapy, doctors are doing a disservice to their patients and contributing to the rising cost of health care in the United States."
YOUR RESPONSE:
The author of the article published in medical magazine states that rather than focusing on expensive drug treatments, doctors should focus on the therapies involving art and music.Further the author states that by doing so doctors are providing disservice to their patients and also rising the cost of health care in the Unites States.The author's premises,the basis for his argument lack any legitimate evidential support and is based on faulty reasoning.The conclusion drawn by the author is harsh and not unacceptable.
The primary issue lies in authors reasoning.She states that art and music have therapeutic effects for individuals who suffer from physical or mental illness.Hence doctors should focus their attention on these low- cost treatment.Providing a therapeutic effect is different from proving a complete cure.I agree that art and music can help in curing definitely help in fast recovery.It has been proved with experiments.But these treatments have their own limitations.They can benefit a patient only up to certain extent.If a person is suffering from kidney damage you just can't be dependent on art and music.But he will have to take a proper treatment and undergo surgery to get the new kidney fixed.No matter how much and what type of music he listens,it is not going to help him.It can prove fatal rather.Same is true in case of diseases like Cancer,Jaundice and other heart diseases.
In addition to above, the rate by which these treatments (art and music related) can help in recovery is very low.The patient can't wait till eternity to get cured when other treatments are available.Also the results of these treatments are uncertain and vary from patient to patient.It is possible that older patients will benefit to some extent with these treatments.But what if a six month old child is suffering from certain disease.A six month old child won't have even ability to understand these things.And even though the drug treatments suggested by doctor are expensive and have some side-effects,there is no other way but to get treated this way.
Art and music can have a healing affect.If you feel tired.you can listen to music and you will definitely feel better.But as discussed above it has many limitations and hence one can't do away with drug treatments even of they are costly and have many side effects.If the author wants to convince his readers he will have to largely restructure his argument and explicitly state assumptions.Without this his illogical argument is likely to convince only few people.