Can anyone evaluate my AWA?
As part of an article in a fitness-and-health magazine, argument opines that drinking Saluda Natural Spring Water instead of tap water, although expensive, is a wise investment in good health. In order to bolster its claim, argument cites laboratory studies that show that Saluda Natural Spring water contains several of minerals beneficial for good health and that it is completely free of bacteria. However, because of several reasons discussed in subsequent paragraphs, argument offers dubious support for its claim.
First, argument fails to provide any reason for less frequent hospitalization at Saluda than the national average. Certainly drinking clean water will cause less frequent hospitalization than drinking polluted water, but there are other factors also that can account for lower hospitalization at Saluda. One such factor could be that because it is a small town, its residents are leading a peaceful life in a pollution free environment, and, thus, are on average healthier than others. On the contrary, people residing in large, more polluted, metropolitan cities suffer from major ailments, such as asthma, cardiac disorders, cancer, etc., which need frequent hospitalization and drinking Saluda Natural water will not make much difference in health of these people. Hence, argument's conclusion is not valid.
Second, argument unwarrantedly assumes that since Saluda Natural spring water is completely free of bacteria, drinking Saluda Natural Spring water will ensure good health. This is an invalid assumption. What if Saluda Natural Spring water contains other harmful pathogens in large concentration, even though it is free from bacteria. In such scenario, drinking Saluda Natural Spring water will have ill-effects on health and will definitely not be a wise investment in good health.
Third, argument, while asserting that drinking Saluda Natural water instead of tap water is a wise investment, ignores that these minerals can also be introduced through other means, such as diet changes, supplements, artificial processing of tap water, etc., that could be cheaper than drinking Saluda Natural Spring Water. Since argument overlooks these possibilities, it seems that argument's conclusion is merely an overstatement.
In summary, argument is neither sound nor persuasive and is substantially flawed. Argument fails to convey any compelling reason to drink Saluda Natural spring water instead of tap water.