Comprehension

The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question.
Steven Pinker's new book, "Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters," offers a pragmatic dose of measured optimism, presenting rationality as a fragile but achievable ideal in personal and civic life. ... Pinker's ambition to illuminate such a crucial topic offers the welcome prospect of a return to sanity. ... It's no small achievement to make formal logic, game theory, statistics and Bayesian reasoning delightful topics full of charm and relevance.
It's also plausible to believe that a wider application of the rational tools he analyzes would improve the world in important ways. His primer on statistics and scientific uncertainty is particularly timely and should be required reading before consuming any news about the [COVID] pandemic. More broadly, he argues that less media coverage of shocking but vanishingly rare events, from shark attacks to adverse vaccine reactions, would help prevent dangerous overreactions, fatalism and the diversion of finite resources away from solvable but less-dramatic issues, like malnutrition in the developing world.
It's a reasonable critique, and Pinker is not the first to make it. But analyzing the political economy of journalism - its funding structures, ownership concentration and increasing reliance on social media shares - would have given a fuller picture of why so much coverage is so misguided and what we might do about it.
Pinker's main focus is the sort of conscious, sequential reasoning that can track the steps in a geometric proof or an argument in formal logic. Skill in this domain maps directly onto the navigation of many real-world problems, and Pinker shows how greater mastery of the tools of rationality can improve decision-making in medical, legal, financial and many other contexts in which we must act on uncertain and shifting information. ..
Despite the undeniable power of the sort of rationality he describes, many of the deepest insights in the history of science, math, music and art strike their originators in moments of epiphany. From the th 19 -century chemist Friedrich August Kekulés discovery of the structure of benzene to any of Mozart's symphonies, much extraordinary human achievement is not a product of conscious, sequential reasoning. Even Plato's Socrates - who anticipated many of Pinker's points by nearly 2,500 years, showing the virtue of knowing what you do not know and examining all premises in arguments, not simply trusting speakers' authority or charisma - attributed many of his most profound insights to dreams and visions. Conscious reasoning is helpful in sorting the wheat from the chaff, but it would be interesting to consider the hidden aquifers that make much of the grain grow in the first place.
The role of moral and ethical education in promoting rational behavior is also underexplored. Pinker recognizes that rationality "is not just a cognitive virtue but a moral one." But this profoundly important point, one subtly explor

Question: 1

The author refers to the ancient Greek philosophers to:

Updated On: Nov 7, 2024
  • highlight the influence of their thinking on the development of Pinker's arguments.
  • show how dreams and visions have for centuries influenced subconscious behaviour and pathbreaking inventions.
  • reveal gaps in Pinker's discussion of the importance of ethical considerations in rational behaviour.
  • indicate the various similarities between their thinking and Pinker's conclusions.
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

In the passage, the author observes that Pinker acknowledges rationality as being both "a cognitive and moral virtue." Nevertheless, the author highlights that Pinker's book does not extensively delve into this "profoundly important" association between rationality and morality. By referencing the ancient Greek philosophers who, as per the text, subtly investigated the correlation between moral character and rationality, the author suggests that Pinker's work could gain from a deeper examination of the ethical aspect of rational conduct. Option (C) aptly conveys this notion, as none of the other options accurately encapsulate the intention behind mentioning the Greek philosophers.

So, the correct option is (C): reveal gaps in Pinker's discussion of the importance of ethical considerations in rational behaviour.

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Question: 2

The author mentions Kekules discovery of the structure of benzene and Mozart's symphonies to illustrate the point that:

Updated On: Nov 7, 2024
  • Pinker's conclusions on sequential reasoning are belied by European achievements which, in the past, were more rooted in unconscious bursts of genius.
  • unlike the sciences, human achievements in other fields are a mix of logical reasoning and spontaneous epiphanies.
  • it is not just the creative arts, but also scientific fields that have benefitted from flashes of creativity.
  • great innovations across various fields can stem from flashes of intuition and are not always propelled by logical thinking.
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

In the case of Kekule, the revelation of the benzene structure reportedly occurred to him in a dream, demonstrating how creative insights can emerge unexpectedly and unconsciously. Similarly, Mozart's symphonies, revered as masterpieces of classical music, are often regarded as manifestations of his musical genius and creative intuition. These examples bolster the notion that groundbreaking achievements in both scientific and artistic realms may involve moments of inspiration, intuition, or epiphany, challenging the notion that all significant accomplishments stem solely from conscious and sequential reasoning. This underscores the broader point that while conscious reasoning is valuable, subconscious and intuitive processes also play a role in generating innovative ideas and creations.

So, the correct option is (D): great innovations across various fields can stem from flashes of intuition and are not always propelled by logical thinking.

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Question: 3

The author endorses Pinker's views on the importance of logical reasoning as it:

Updated On: Nov 7, 2024
  • provides a moral compass for resolving important ethical dilemmas.
  • equips people with the ability to tackle challenging practical problems.
  • focuses public attention on real issues like development rather than sensational events.
  • helps people to gain expertise in statistics and other scientific disciplines.
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

The passage underscores Pinker's emphasis on sequential reasoning and the tools of rationality, suggesting that mastering these tools can enhance decision-making in various practical scenarios where individuals must navigate "uncertain and shifting information." The author's endorsement or support for Pinker's work revolves around the concept that logical reasoning "equips people with the ability to tackle challenging practical problems" [Option B].

Option A is inaccurate - although the author acknowledges Pinker's perspective on rationality as a moral virtue, they note that Pinker's exploration of the role of moral and ethical education is lacking.
Option C focuses on a specific application of Pinker's views and fails to capture the broader message.
Option D similarly confines the discussion to the broader utility of rationality in decision-making.

So, the correct option is (B): equips people with the ability to tackle challenging practical problems.

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Question: 4

According to the author, for Pinker as well as the ancient Greek philosophers, rational thinking involves all of the following EXCEPT:

Updated On: Nov 7, 2024
  • arriving at independent conclusions irrespective of who is presenting the argument.
  • the belief that the ability to reason logically encompasses an ethical and moral dimension.
  • the primacy of conscious sequential reasoning as the basis for seminal human achievements.
  • an awareness of underlying assumptions in an argument and gaps in one's own knowledge.
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

According to the discussion, the option not aligned with Pinker's perspective on rational thinking (and that of the ancient Greek philosophers) is Option C. The passage implies that while sequential reasoning holds value, many significant human breakthroughs stem from moments of epiphany or insight rather than solely from conscious, sequential reasoning.

In line with this notion, it is suggested that an emphasis on rational thought includes acknowledging the gaps in one's own knowledge [Option D] and "arriving at independent conclusions" [Option A]. As evidenced by the passage's reference to Plato's Socrates, who prefigured many of Pinker's arguments by almost 2,500 years, rational thinking involves recognizing one's limitations and thoroughly examining all premises in arguments rather than merely relying on speakers' authority or charisma.

Towards the passage's conclusion, it is mentioned that there exists an ethical and moral aspect [Option B] to rationality, which Pinker acknowledges but does not delve into extensively.

Therefore, Option C is the correct choice, as it does not align with Pinker's view on rational thinking as discussed in the passage.

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