Tim Kreider writes the article “The “Busy Trap”,” and it deals with modern people’s attitude towards life. The author stresses that people take up responsibilities to feel important rather than do particular tasks. Kreider also emphasizes that being too busy makes people less creative and productive, so it is necessary to devote more time to leisure. At that, the author’s arguments are relatively weak, and the article is characterized by several fallacies. The present paper includes a brief analysis of the significant errors found in the text under study.
One of the main fallacies Kreider uses is false causality. The author states that people are busy due to their addiction to business or their fears of “what they might have to face in its absence” (Kreider 982). However, this argument is based on the wrong causality as people are busy since they need to earn their living and bring up their children. The reason for their being busy is not their fear of some kind of freedom but their desire to have better lives for themselves and their children.
The false dilemma is another fallacy that can be found in the article. The writer claims that really busy people are those who have to balance several jobs to make ends meet. However, the world is not divided into those poor people having several minimum-paid employment and those who have a set of responsibilities they can take up or reject. The process of earning one’s living, having a family, or obtaining a degree is complex. Many people have to work hard to achieve their professional and personal goals.
The author has a job that is associated with a considerable amount of free time. He is also financially secured, so he is not dependent on employers who tend to overload their employees with tasks and responsibilities. He has an opportunity to leave everything behind and live in a place with no Internet connection, which is a privilege only a few people can enjoy.
The author also makes hasty generalizations as he concludes that all people are voluntarily busy based on the experiences of the people he knows personally. The writer does not refer to any studies or surveys to support his argument. He articulates his views expecting that readers will trust his knowledge and experience. Clearly, there are chances that many individuals take up responsibilities to feel important rather than secure their employment or help their close ones develop. However, only convincing evidence could make the author’s argument feasible.
It is also noteworthy that Tim Kreider contradicts himself when he mentions his own job. He also has responsibilities and tasks to complete, but unlike many people, the author can focus on a limited number of functions, which are writing and occasional email communication. Hence, being busy is not voluntary in the vast majority of cases as only a limited number of professionals can simply flee and earn their living without taking up numerous responsibilities.
In conclusion, it is necessary to note that Tim Kreider’s article contains several fallacies, including but not confined to faulty causality, false dilemma, and hasty generalizations. He assumes that all people can have more free time and should devote it to creating essential things. The author stresses that being busy is often self-imposed as it makes people feel their importance and relevance. Nevertheless, the utilized arguments are weak, and even fallacies used do not make the reader share this view.
Work Cited
Kreider, Tim. “The “Busy Trap.”” Everyone’s an Author with Readings, edited by Lunsford, Andrea, et al., W. W. Norton & Company, 2016, pp. 982-986.