Writing Analytically (p.55): Inferring Implications from Observations

Exercise 4.2

3. “Good fences make good neighbors.”—Robert Frost

Fences provide protection, but they do not completely isolate homeowners from the outside world. A good neighbor is just like a fence: by your side, through rain and shine. A good fence takes time and effort to build; bad fences are built in haste. Bad fences make bad neighbors. If your neighbor’s and your relationship is likened to a bad fence, both of you should make repairs. At some point in his life, Robert Frost probably had a bad neighbor, so he built a good fence. Fences are more pleasant than actual neighbors.

6. Neuroscientists tell us that the frontal cortex of the brain, the part that is responsible for judgment and especially for impulse control, is not fully developed in humans until roughly the age of twenty-one. What are the implications of this observation relative to observation 5?

Juveniles act irresponsibly because they rely less on good judgment and more on impulse to make decisions. Juveniles cannot be held fully responsible for their actions because their frontal cortices are not fully developed. Perhaps they should not be tried as adults until age twenty-one. Criminal sentencing is a partial decision-making process in America; minors are sentenced based on the result of their actions, not what fueled those actions.

8. Shopping malls and grocery stores rarely have clocks.

Shopping malls and grocery stores wish for their customers to shop without the restriction of time. However, customers always complain that they need clocks to shop efficiently. The absence of clocks poses an inconvenience to customers who run on tight schedules, but, at the same time, gives store owners an advantage to increase the sales of impulse buys.

9. All data are neutral; they’re neither good nor bad.

Facts are true statements about reality, so they cannot be disputed. Data describe situations as they exist and do not judge things as good or bad. In sticky situations, facts offer logical and consistent support for decision-making. In contrast, the words good and bad have obscure meanings. They are judged relative to each other, and, therefore, the validity they hold is arbitrary.