2. 考研
  3. Copernicus took away our claim as humans to a special position at the centre of the Universe. Darwin forced us to take our place

Copernicus took away our claim as humans to a special position at the centre of the Universe. Darwin forced us to take our place

admin2015-02-12  42
问题     Copernicus took away our claim as humans to a special position at the centre of the Universe. Darwin forced us to take our place among the animals. Now the last refuges of mystery are being invaded as science begins to take apart human nature itself. Psychologists of every hue have been joined by neuroscientists, artificial intelligence experts, philosophers and economists in the rush to solve this last great problem. The scale and scope of activity is unprecedented. Never before have there been so many best-selling books on mind and brain from so many different thinkers. And no sooner has one proclaimed that a profound mystery of consciousness has been discovered than half a dozen others will counterclaim that the mystery has merely grown deeper.
    As the science of human nature advances, two old debates remain. The first comes in many shapes. Is our nature inbuilt or is it acquired? Are genes or environment more important in shaping us? Philosophers characterize the difference as being between nativists and empiricists. The second great debate has a profound religious dimension. Does free will really exist or are minds merely a reflection of the mechanical workings of the brain? Hippocrates, who died in 377 BC, was one of the earliest to write that thoughts, feelings and perceptions were simply activities of the brain. But his opinion appears to have been a lone voice in the Western world over the past 2500 years, which placed the existence of free will, and its consequent choices between right and wrong, heaven and hell, at the heart of its dogma.
    The questions underlying these two great debates have more than merely academic appeal, for the study of human nature is not only scientifically challenging, false insights from it can be extraordinarily dangerous and lead to immense suffering and death. While Hitler had no deep knowledge of genetic theory, he did operate under a belief of human nature, justifying unspeakable crimes. It is true that unscrupulous politicians will always take what they want from science to further their own ends and ideologies, but in the area of human nature, scientists have had a more direct responsibility for acts of which we should now feel collectively ashamed.
According to the text, the problem with the study of human nature is______.
选项 A、that it is mysterious
B、insights lead to more questions and mystery
C、it is almost always used for the wrong purposes
D、there are too many competing theories
答案B
解析 属事实细节题。原文对应信息仍是第一段最后一句：一旦有谁宣布破解了意识的一个深奥谜团，就会有一些人反驳说这个谜团只是变得越发深邃了。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/U7K4777K
0

考研英语一

相关试题推荐
随机试题
最新回复(0)