Read the following longer inductive argument, then explain and evaluate it: “It takes a special sort of person to be a cardiologist. This is not always a good thing. “You may have read about one or another of the ‘cardiologist caught falsifying test results and performing dangerous unnecessary surgeries to make more money’ stories, but you might not have realized just how common it really is. Maryland cardiologist performs over 500 dangerous unnecessary surgeries to make money. Unrelated Maryland cardiologist performs another 25 in a separate incident. California cardiologist does ‘several hundred’ dangerous unnecessary surgeries and gets raided by the FBI. Philadelphia cardiologist, same. North Carolina cardiologist, same. 11 Kentucky cardiologists, same. Actually just a couple of miles from my own hospital, a Michigan cardiologist was found to have done $4 million worth of the same. Etc, etc, etc. “My point is not just about the number of cardiologists who perform dangerous unnecessary surgeries for a quick buck. It’s not even just about the cardiology insurance fraud, cardiology kickback schemes, or cardiology research data falsification conspiracies. That could all just be attributed to some distorted incentives in cardiology as a field. My point is that it takes a special sort of person to be a cardiologist. “Consider the sexual harassment. Head of Yale cardiology department fired for sexual harassment with ‘rampant bullying’. Stanford cardiologist charged with sexually harassing students. Baltimore cardiologist found guilty of sexual harassment. LA cardiologist fined $200,000 for groping med tech. Three different Pennsylvania cardiologists sexually harassing the same woman. Arizona cardiologist suspended on 19 (!) different counts of sexual abuse. One of the ‘world’s leading cardiologists’ fired for sending pictures of his genitals to a female friend. New York cardiologist in trouble for refusing to pay his $135,000 bill at a strip club. Manhattan cardiologist taking naked pictures of patients, then using them to sexually abuse employees. New York cardiologist secretly installs spycam in office bathroom. Just to shake things up, a Florida cardiologist was falsely accused of sexual harassment as part of feud with another cardiologist. “And yeah, you can argue that if you put high-status men in an office with a lot of subordinates, sexual harassment will be depressingly common just as a result of the environment. But there’s also the Texas cardiologist who pled guilty to child molestation. The California cardiologist who killed a two-year-old kid. The author of one of the world’s top cardiology textbooks arrested on charges Wikipedia describes only as ‘related to child pornography and cocaine’. “Then it gets weird. Did you about the Australian cardiologist who is fighting against extradition to Uganda, where he is accused of ‘terrorism, aggravated robbery and murdering seven people’? What about the Long Island cardiologist who hired a hitman to kill a rival cardiologist, and who was also for some reason looking for ‘enough explosives to blow up a building’? “Like I said, it takes a special sort of person.” (from “Cardiologists and Chinese Robbers” by Scott Alexander) Sample (examples in the premises): Overall Population (group generalized about in the conclusion): Large Enough Sample? (yes or no): Why or why not? (explain): Representative Sample? (yes or no): Why or why not? (explain): Overall Quality of Argument (good or bad):
- Read the following longer inductive argument, then explain and evaluate it:
“It takes a special sort of person to be a cardiologist. This is not always a good thing.
“You may have read about one or another of the ‘cardiologist caught falsifying test results and performing dangerous unnecessary surgeries to make more money’ stories, but you might not have realized just how common it really is. Maryland cardiologist performs over 500 dangerous unnecessary surgeries to make money. Unrelated Maryland cardiologist performs another 25 in a separate incident. California cardiologist does ‘several hundred’ dangerous unnecessary surgeries and gets raided by the FBI. Philadelphia cardiologist, same. North Carolina cardiologist, same. 11 Kentucky cardiologists, same. Actually just a couple of miles from my own hospital, a Michigan cardiologist was found to have done $4 million worth of the same. Etc, etc, etc.
“My point is not just about the number of cardiologists who perform dangerous unnecessary surgeries for a quick buck. It’s not even just about the cardiology insurance fraud, cardiology kickback schemes, or cardiology research data falsification conspiracies. That could all just be attributed to some distorted incentives in cardiology as a field. My point is that it takes a special sort of person to be a cardiologist.
“Consider the sexual harassment. Head of Yale cardiology department fired for sexual harassment with ‘rampant bullying’. Stanford cardiologist charged with sexually harassing students. Baltimore cardiologist found guilty of sexual harassment. LA cardiologist fined $200,000 for groping med tech. Three different Pennsylvania cardiologists sexually harassing the same woman. Arizona cardiologist suspended on 19 (!) different counts of sexual abuse. One of the ‘world’s leading cardiologists’ fired for sending pictures of his genitals to a female friend. New York cardiologist in trouble for refusing to pay his $135,000 bill at a strip club. Manhattan cardiologist taking naked pictures of patients, then using them to sexually abuse employees. New York cardiologist secretly installs spycam in office bathroom. Just to shake things up, a Florida cardiologist was falsely accused of sexual harassment as part of feud with another cardiologist.
“And yeah, you can argue that if you put high-status men in an office with a lot of subordinates, sexual harassment will be depressingly common just as a result of the environment. But there’s also the Texas cardiologist who pled guilty to child molestation. The California cardiologist who killed a two-year-old kid. The author of one of the world’s top cardiology textbooks arrested on charges Wikipedia describes only as ‘related to child pornography and cocaine’.
“Then it gets weird. Did you about the Australian cardiologist who is fighting against extradition to Uganda, where he is accused of ‘terrorism, aggravated robbery and murdering seven people’? What about the Long Island cardiologist who hired a hitman to kill a rival cardiologist, and who was also for some reason looking for ‘enough explosives to blow up a building’?
“Like I said, it takes a special sort of person.”
(from “Cardiologists and Chinese Robbers” by Scott Alexander)
Sample (examples in the premises):
Overall Population (group generalized about in the conclusion):
Large Enough Sample? (yes or no):
Why or why not? (explain):
Representative Sample? (yes or no):
Why or why not? (explain):
Overall Quality of Argument (good or bad):
Trending now
This is a popular solution!
Step by step
Solved in 4 steps
