Wirth: Support All efforts to identify a gene responsible for predisposing people to manic-depression have failed. ██ █████ ██████ ███ ███████████ ███ █████ ████ █████ ██ ██ █████████████████ ██████ ██████████ ██ █████ ███████████ ███ ██████ ███ █████ ████ ████ ██████ ███ ███████████ ███████████ ██ ████████████████ ██ ██████ ██████
██████ █ ██ ███ ███████ ████ █████████ ███ █ ████ █████ ████ ████ ███████████ ████ ██ ███ ███████████ ███ █████ ██ ████ █████ ████████ ████ █ ███ ██ ███████ █████ ██ ████████ ███ ████ ███████ ████████████ █████ █████ █████ ███████ █ ██████████████ ██ █████████████████
Wirth claims that if researchers are correct in their findings, it must be false that some people are genetically predisposed to manic-depression. As support, Wirth explains that no “manic-depression gene” has been identified, and that most researchers agree that no such gene exists.
Chang disagrees with Wirth’s conclusion, meaning Chang believes that the researchers’ results are compatible with a predisposition to manic-depression. How so? Because although researchers haven’t found a single gene responsible, they have identified multiple genes whose interactions can predispose someone to manic-depression.
The point at issue between █████ ███ █████ ██ ███████
efforts to identify █ ████ ██ ███ ██ ███████ █████ ███████████ ███ ████████████ ██████ ██ ████████████████ ████ ███ ██████
We don't know Wirth's opinion about this. In order for Wirth to think that all efforts to identify a single gene or set of genes responsible for manic-depression have failed, Wirth needs to believe that all efforts at identifying a single gene have failed and that all efforts at identifying a set of genes have failed. Although we know Wirth thinks all efforts to identify a single gene responsible have failed, we don't know what he thinks about efforts to identify multiple genes that, together, might influence manic-depression. Wirth might not even be aware of those efforts.
it is likely ████ ███████████ ████ ████ ██ ████ ██ ████ █ ██████ ████ ████ ███████████ ██████ ██ ████████████████
Neither speaker explicitly speculates about the future change of finding a single “manic-depression gene.” If anything, both speakers likely disagree with this claim: each seems to take for granted that no single “manic-depression gene” exists.
nearly all researchers ███ █████ ████ █████ ██ ██ ████████████████ ████
Like (A), the speakers both agree with this claim. This is one of the facts Wirth uses as support, and Chang accepts that Wirth’s support is true. The disagreement is about the conclusion, not the evidence.
current research supports ███ █████ ████ ██ ███ ██ ███████████ ███████████ ██ ████████████████
Wirth agrees with this claim but Chang disagrees, making it the point at issue. Wirth believes that the absence of a single “manic-depression gene” means there can be no predisposition; Chang thinks a predisposition can still exist due to the interaction between multiple genes.
the efforts made ██ ████ █ ████ ████ ███ ███████ █ ██████████████ ██ ████████████████ ████ ████████
Neither speaker explicitly discusses the thoroughness of researchers’ attempts to find a “manic-depression gene,” but both seem to accept that no such gene exists. The rigor of scientists’ approach is not an issue between Wirth and Chang.
Answer five questions and we'll estimate your score.
It takes about five minutes.
Take the free diagnostic