Word: argument
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...focus on some issues that will stretch people in their thinking,” he said. “Particularly for someone graduating, it is important to understand the responsibilities and accountabilities that they have to the society.”Central to his argument was a call for strong ethics. “To me, integrity is the single most important quality you need as a leader,” he said onstage. “Integrity means more than telling the truth. That’s just the bare minimum. To me, integrity means never putting your goals...
...private educational institution is,” as then-President Lawrence H. Summers phrased the party line. According to this logic, alumni are more likely to contribute to their alma mater (financially and otherwise) if their children are admitted to Harvard. For a long time, I myself found this argument compelling. My parents are not Harvard degree-holders, but I have benefited from scholarship funds established by alumni whose progeny matriculated here. Perhaps those alums wouldn’t have donated if their daughters and sons had been rejected by Byerly Hall. And, so the logic goes, the University...
...those in support of the status quo rally two arguments to their cause. The first, an eminently practical argument, is that there is significant educational value to making a woman have a nice sit-down with her doctor, who can quiz her on her sex life and tell her what to do if she misses a pill. Supposedly, a good chat with the doc is likely to increase proper usage and knowledge of the potential risks...
...Unfortunately, this argument supposes not only that patients listen to their doctors, but also that they actually use the information. In fact, a brief warning about consistent use is almost certain to sail over the disinterested patient’s head, while those with a genuine desire for information can easily ask their pharmacist, or read the leaflet that comes with every pill package. The very act of sitting down with a doctor does not create a responsible attitude to birth control, and proper usage information is readily available for anyone who wants...
...moral argument against non-prescription oral contraceptives is that sex, and all that jazz, should be a big deal: If women are allowed to purchase the pill willy-nilly then they will all go around have lots of sex and being generally licentious. Again, this argument puts the cart before the horse, assuming doctors’ appointments uphold moral attitudes. Most individuals make decisions about sex based on their own personal moral and social circumstances, not on the availability of pills and condoms—after all, anyone can pick up the latter freely at CVS. And even...