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  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

admin2010-09-10  58
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 re ally 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 appears to have been a lone voice in the Western world over the past 2,500 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 for which we should now feel collectively ’ashamed.
Scientists are responsible for people who hold harmful beliefs about human nature because.
选项 A、the theories of scientists are used as justification for such harmful beliefs
B、only through science can these people be refuted
C、they have an obligation to correct their mistakes
D、scientists are the ones who know the true nature of humankind
答案A
解析 属信息推断题。在最后一段，先举希特勒为例，说明他“按照人性的一种观念行事，使滔天罪行师出有名。”最后又谈到科学家对耻辱的行为负有更为直接的责任。可以推断，科学家负有责任的原因在于他们的理论被当作有害行为和观念的解释依据。
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