Argument
Sample 1
In this argument the author employs a variety of evidence about Paleans, including their geographical isolation and the discovery of a basket, to argue that Palean baskets could have been made by non-Palean cultures. We may accept part of the author’s claim regarding the Paleans, but in the absence of some critical evidence, we cannot accept the conclusion that the Paleans have no means of transporting one of their baskets to other region.
In the first place, the author assumes that the Paleans could not have reached Lithos because no Palean boat has been found. However, the author is treating a lack of proof that the Paleans could have possessed some kind of boat as sufficient proof that they did not possess any such vehicles at all. From the passage we are only informed that Palean boats “were not found”, but the mere fact that no boat found currently could not fully illustrate that the Paleans did not have boats. We need concrete evidence to show that the Paleans did not master the skill of shipbuilding.
Granted that the Paleans did possess no boats, we still need evidence to prove that the basket could not have arrived in Lithos by other means. Although the Brim River is deep and broad at present, it might be shallower and narrower at Palean time, or at least some sections of the river were less deep and broad at that time. If so, the Paleans could have crossed the river without boat. Some archaeological and geological records or documents about the condition of the Brim River at ancient time might be useful for evaluating the argument.
Assuming that the river was also deep and broad in ancient time and can be crossed only by boat, there is a possibility that some vehicles were in the possession of a second culture with whom the Palean people kept in contact. The second culture might have brought the discovered basket to Lithos during trading or other activities. Also possibly, the basket may have been brought to Lithos by some other people latterly after the disappearance of the Paleans, or may have drifted to the site due to geological accidents such as a flood. The author should provide evidence to show that Paleans had no significant contact with other cultures who possessed boats, and that the basket could not be carried to the site through other methods such as trading or some accidents. We still cannot rule out the possibility that the baskets were unique to Palean culture without such information.
In sum, the conclusion is hastily reached. Before the claim that other cultures could have produced so-called Palean baskets is accepted, the author should provide concrete evidence to show that Paleans were never capable of building boats. The author also needs to rule out other possible ways by which the basket could travel to other places.
