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  3. The overwhelming majority of climate scientists believe the Earth is warming as a result of man’s activities. The American publi

The overwhelming majority of climate scientists believe the Earth is warming as a result of man’s activities. The American publi

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问题     The overwhelming majority of climate scientists believe the Earth is warming as a result of man’s activities. The American public is more skeptical. About a quarter of Americans still have doubts about global warming, and even more believe that the threat is being over-hyped. It would seem, then, that more needs to be done to help these skeptics understand the science that has the professionals so concerned.
    Or not. An interesting new study in Nature shows that the science comprehension thesis(SCT)— which posits that divisions over climate change are a result of the public’s incomprehension of the science—is wrong. If it were right, increasing scientific literacy would correspond to greater agreement with the actual scientists, who generally believe global warming is a serious threat. But that’s not the case. So if it’s not a lack of scientific literacy causing disagreement with the experts, then what is it?
    The authors of the study looked at an alternative explanation referred to as the cultural cognition thesis. This thesis posits that individuals try to fit their interpretations of scientific evidence into preformed cultural philosophies. More specifically, those with a hierarchical, individualistic worldview were expected to be skeptical of climate-change risks, the acceptance of which might lead to unwanted restrictions on industry. Those with an egalitarian, communitarian worldview were expected to agree with the experts, as they are generally less troubled by commerce-cramping regulations. The data bore this out. And, perhaps most fascinating of all, increased scientific literacy only increased the cultural divide.
    The operative concept here is "motivated reasoning". The idea is, we begin by absorbing the values of our tribes—what is and isn’t important, what is and isn’t a risk—and use whatever numeracy and scientific literacy we possess to seek out facts and arguments that support those views. Getting smarter, in other words, only makes us better at justifying our own worldviews. It does not necessarily give us more scientifically accurate worldviews.
    Perhaps, then, I am simply justifying my own worldview when I suggest that global warming is real and problematic. And perhaps the scientists who study global warming are doing the same. If you believe this, I am going to have trouble convincing you otherwise. If the study is correct, the increasing amount of data showing a warmer climate is a feeble weapon in this fight. Rather, the authors suggest that "communicators should endeavor to create a deliberative climate in which accepting the best available science does not threaten any group’s values. "
According to "motivated reasoning", warmer-climate skeptics are mainly driven by______.
选项 A、their herd mentality
B、their scientific knowledge
C、their presumed worldviews
D、their reasoning ability
答案C
解析 第四段前两句指出，人们先有世界观，后利用自身聪明才智对其观点作出合理解释；末两句指出，人们智力的提高无非能让自身价值观被解释得更为合理恰当，而并不能使之变得更：勾科学准确，也即，聪明才智不影响观点，而只能令观点更加具有说服力。第五段前两句则直接命中要点：无论是气候变暖相信者还是怀疑者都是因其自身持有该观点，尔后才用自身智能去使该观点更令人信服。由此可见，[C]选项正确，同时排除[B]、[D]选项。
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