tsheikh

The following appeared in a letter from the faculty committee to the president of Seatown University: A study conducted at nearby Oceania University showed that faculty retention is higher when professors are offered free tuition at the university for their own college-aged children. Therefore, Seatown should institute a free-tuition policy for its professors for the purpose of enhancing morale among the faculty and luring new professors. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The statement claims that Seatown University should institute a free-tuition policy for professor's college-aged children on the basis of the study at Oceania University. Stating in that way the faculty committee failed to make logical connections between the evidence given and general conclusion, which rests upon the assumptions for which no evidence is provided. The first problem with the argument is that faculty committee is considering both Seatown and Oceania Universities on the same level, without providing much detail on them. The study at nearby Oceania University showed that faculty retention is higher when professors are offered free tuition at the university for their own college-aged children. However, we are given very little information on Oceania University, other than the fact that this university is near to the Seatown. First off, the committee should mention the number of professors in the Oceania University for which they plan to provide free-tuition for their children. It is possible that number of professors from Oceania University is far less than that of from Seatown University. So, planning to provide free-tuition for their children, the Oceania university might balance their fund, whereas, with the large number of professor at Seatown University this decision might not be fruitful enough for the university as a whole. The second problem with the argument is the reasoning of such planning at Seatown university. We are only given that this planning have been beneficial in the sense that faculty retention is higher at Oceania, but we don't know the present status of the faculty retention at Seatown. What if the faculty retention at Seatown is very satisfactory and the university professor's don't have such demand to be provided with their children tuition-fee, rather they require fund for their ongoing or future research. Before introducing such plan at Seatown university the committee should mention the current status of the Seatown university and what are the demands of its professors. The third problem with the argument is that it discriminates among the faculty members by proposing beneficial plan for ONLY the professors. However, an university faculty consists of members of various designations, starting from lecturer to professor. Even if we consider that this proposed plan might increase the professor's retention, but we cannot conclude that this will increase FACULTY retention, which includes faculty members other than professors. The committee should be very much sincere on the wording on their recommendations. Again, retention means to more diligent to the work, however, this definition of retention is NOT ONLY related to the morale. What if the faculty's at Seatown have pure morale sense of their work? Also, given take relationship cannot ensure morale aspect, rather it ruins the morale and make it more selfishness and relates to monetary facilities. Finally, teaching profession needs the dedication from heart. The committee is recommending a proposal to increase morale among the faculty and luring new professors. In other sense the committee is questioning on the morality of the faculties at current situations. Also, only focusing on attracting the new professors, disregarding the need of other faculty members, rather than looking for other options, e.g. increasing fund, transport facility, computer facility, etc, this plan's success is not convincing. Above all, without talking much on Oceania university, their plan will work for the Seatown university, this assumption is way too extreme. The president should be skeptical and should not accept the committee's proposal.

Claim: Even though young people often receive the advice to “follow your dreams,” more emphasis should be placed on picking worthy goals. Reason: Many people’s dreams are inherently selfish. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The statement claims that young people should focus on the worthy goals rather than following their dreams and reasons that dreams are inherently selfish. I strongly disagree with this statement as this statement is not general and assumes an extreme reasoning while giving suggestions for the young people. Dreams are natural, however, science believes that dreams are no different than our own thoughts. More specifically, dreams convert our thought process to some visionary non-existent world. Although dreams are non-existent, it exists in reality in different forms or we make dreams into reality as it is purely related to our heart. The author of the statement makes an extreme assumption while giving advice to the young people. If we summarize author's point, we can paraphrase it like that dreams are inherently selfish, and young people should focus on the worthy goals rather than following their own dreams. However, this assumption is not valid always, and often the opposite is true. The young people are more talented and creative that people from other age groups. It is evident that in the world whatever change we have, the young people have contributed a lot on this. Starting from achieving freedom to a nation, fighting for the justice, railing against crime, modernizing the world and also contributing everyday from their staunch to development of the human life. If we centralize their efforts to a single factor that would be none other than their dreams. It is because of their dream that they could see the world from a different point of view, changing the world by their fledgling but innovative effort. Although it is possible that some people's dream are selfish that could bring disorder in the society and also can ruin the young people's life, however, on a broader sense we cannot make judgement like that. To substantiate the last point, let us consider an example. A college student want to help other people and want to spread his helping hand by becoming a doctor. However, his parents believe that although medical profession is a noble profession, today's doctor are only making money by prescribing the patients with number of medicines and recommending innumerable unnecessary tests. So, they are forcing their child not to become a doctor, rather become an engineer, make safer money-although not very much-but lead a peaceful life. However, his parents should be friendly enough to talk with him in this regard, as he is dreaming to become a doctor by not being selfish, but rather being a magnanimous one. Also, it is evident that the people do whatever his heart says, do justice to their tasks and become successful in most cases. Again, think of a child who wants to be a politician and want to uproot all the filthy elements from the society to make this world a better place. Although we have a prior believe that politics is the worst profession is the world, where selflessness are way too unlikely. But we cannot disrespect a young kid's desire to be a good politician. In the world the best examples of politicians we have, they were not destined and fell into the prey of politics world, rather they believed in themselves and wanted to be a politician from the their young age. In addition to the point that dreams are not selfish that often lead the young people to their ultimate goal, sometimes other side story is also true. As young people are not matured enough to make the right choice, their parents, teachers, or seniors might help in this case. And, selfishness not always mean to acrimonious or harmful for the society, also it could mean that whatever the young people are believing through their dream are idiosyncratic and often lead to no good to society as a whole. In these situations, they should be provided with proper counselling and help them to make the right choice. In summary, I believe that young people should follow their heart to make the right choice.