The Idea of an Essay, Volume 3

18 The Idea of an Essay: Volume 3 discussing the cause of the marital strain. According to the wife, her husband’s laziness and lack of contribution to household chores is producing marital issues. There is absolutely no indication that overwork is causing strain in the marriage. Schor’s analysis of the correlation between increased prosperity and declining leisure time is superficially persuasive, due to her impressive credentials and seemingly logical approach. A closer reading of the text, however, reveals an underlying lack of focus: she switches midway through the article from arguing her original claim to defending her warrant. Additionally, logical fallacies undermine her arguments and rebuttals. Although she projects a cool, logical tone, the proof of her warrant is based largely on an emotional appeal. While she does consider several viable causes and effects, she fails to sufficiently account for other factors that play significant roles. When performing experiments, scientists are careful to alter only one variable between their various tests and control demonstration so as to isolate a cause without confusing it with another. In all fairness, Schor, as an economic scientist, cannot completely isolate different variables in evaluating the economy. At the same time, her only acknowledgment of other factors in her study is brief and thus misleading. Therefore, readers should carefully weigh her assertions before accepting their validity.