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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  39
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.
The two old debates are significant because.
选项 A、it has profound value to researchers
B、it has academic appeal
C、people’s beliefs about human nature can lead to dangerous actions
D、it forms the basis for our political policies
答案C
解析 属事实细节题。作者在第三段开头指出：“引起这两大辩论的问题不只具有学术魅力，因为对人性的研究不仅在科学上有挑战性，而且错误的理解可能极度危险，会导致巨大痛苦和死亡。”
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