Logical Reasoning

PT103 · S3 · Q6 First legislator: Medical research

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First legislator: Medical research is predominantly done on groups of patients that include only men.

First L's Conclusion

Govt-sponsored medical research should have to include studies of women.

Second L's Objection

(No they shouldn't). Considerations of male/female balance are inappropriate in medical research, and they have no place in science.

Evaluate

Since we're trying to logically counter the 2nd person, we want to defend the 1st person's idea while responding to the 2nd person's.

It sounds like the second person is saying that science is sex-blind, but is it? Didn't science figure out that males have Y-chromosomes and females don't? Aren't there scientific differences between the sexes that make it scientifically relevant whether we're testing males vs. females?

Goal

Let's find an answer that allows us to argue that having some research done on women IS appropriate. It does have a place in science. Doing research only on men is worse.

6.

Which one of the following rejoinders, if true, most directly counters the second legislator's objection?

  1. Government-sponsored research is supported by

    No Impact

    The fact that government-sponsored research is supported by both male and female taxpayers does not directly address whether considerations of male/female balance are appropriate or necessary within scientific research itself.

    12% picked this

  2. Serving as a subject for

    No Impact

    While serving as a subject can bring both benefits and risks, this does not speak to whether male/female balance is essential for quality scientific outcomes. It doesn't counter the idea that gender balance considerations have no place in research.

    1% picked this

  3. Government-sponsored medical research is often

    Opposite Impact

    This helps someone defend the practice of having predominantly male-only research subjects: "This govt sponsored research is being done where there are only males around to test, so of course the subjects are often all male". We want to reject that approach and agitate for the inclusion of females as research subjects.

    3% picked this

  4. The training of male and

    No Impact

    The fact that the training of scientists does not differ by sex does not address the question of whether male/female balance in patient subjects is critical for scientific research.

    2% picked this

  5. Correct

    Restriction to males of the

    Why this is right

    This counters the second legislator's point by arguing that excluding women results in a lack of comprehensive understanding within the research. In other words, "of course a male/female balance has a place in science. After all, when you lack that balance, it results in inadequate science."

    Skill tested: Weaken · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

    82% picked this

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