Sorry guys I should have posted more information.
A senator, near the end of his first six-year term and running for reelection, made the claim: "Citizens of our state are thriving. While national unemployment levels have remained high, our state unemployment rate has been at astonishingly low levels for eleven years running. Clearly, everyone in our state has benefited from the economical packages I have introduced during my time in the Senate. "
This argument is most vulnerable to what criticism?
It takes a condition to be the effect of something that has happened only after the condition already existed.
I still confused about this part 'only after the condition already existed.'please take a look again?
Thank you. This clarifies everything.
It takes a condition to be the effect of something - it claims that low unemployment (a condition) is the result (the effect) of his economic packages (something)
... something that happened only after the condition already existed. = the "something that happened" is his introduction of the economic package and it happened AFTER the condition of low unemployment had happened.
So he's saying "Hey, low unemployment is because of my work" but the low unemployment existed before his package.
That's why it was contradictory - it's a logical flaw.
11 years ago: Low unemployment began (condition)
6 years ago: He introduced his package
Now: Unemployment is / remains low
Logical flaw: Unemployment is low because of my package!
It takes a condition to be the effect of something that has happened only after the condition already existed. = It claims that a condition is the result of something that happened after that same conditional was already in place.
Here's another example:
You are 6'4" tall
You start taking vitamins.
You are still 6'4"
The vitamin manufacturer says "You are 6'4" tall - considerably taller than most other men. Clearly, you have benefited from the vitamins I have provided you."
Here, it takes a condition (your height) to be the results of something that happened after you were already tall (taking their vitamins).
This shows you how important CONTEXT is to answering your questions.