- Thu May 29, 2025 12:35 pm
#113041
Hi ericvanover!
Let's start by summarizing our two passages.
Passage A: There are two views of the role of science in human understanding: reductionist and traditional. The reductionist view states that all kinds of knowledge can be reduced to science. The traditional view states that science is one of many independent sources of knowledge. Paranormal phenomena is a point of contention between these two views-- reductionists state that paranormal phenomena are not real because they cannot be scientifically investigated. Traditionalists state that paranormal phenomena may exist, and may just be inaccessible to scientific investigation-- the two can both exist at the same time complementary to each other.
Passage B: Freeman Dyson's (the author of Passage A) plea for openness to the paranormal is ridiculous, because anecdotal evidence is unscientific. In order to be scientific, anecdotes must be investigated in a controlled, experimental manner. Since paranormal phenomena have been investigated in such a manner, and has not been show to exist, they therefore do not exist.
Our question stem asks us to relate the primary purposes of these two passages to each other.
Answer Choice A: Passage A argues for a general view, and passage B presents a specific counterexample to that view.
The view argued in Passage A is not general-- it is a broad theory that is given a specific application (i.e. reductionist/traditionalist views, applied to paranormal phenomena). Similarly, Passage B does not give a specific counterexample, rather, they refute the view as a whole.
Answer Choice B: Passage A proposes a wide-ranging new theory, and passage B takes issue with some details of that theory.
The theory/view presented in Passage A is not a new one, and Passage B takes issue with the theory/view presented as a whole, as opposed to some specific details of it.
Answer Choice C: Passage A argues that something is possible, and passage B tries to refute that argument.
This is correct! Passage A presents the idea that through the traditionalist view, paranormal phenomena are possible. Passage B refutes this idea.
Answer Choice D: Passage A questions a mainstream view, and passage B defends that view against the charges made in passage A.
Passage A does question the reductionist view, however, it is equally, if not more focused on presenting the traditionalist view. Similarly, Passage B is more focused on refuting the traditionalist view than defending the reductionist view.
Answer Choice E: Passage A argues that a theory is self-contradictory, and passage B argues that the contradiction is only apparent.
Passage A doesn't argue that the reductionist view is contradictory. Rather, it argues that it may not be full/accurate in its scope (i.e. science may not be able to account for paranormal phenomena that are actually present). Similarly, Passage B is not defending reductionism from the claim that it is contradictory. Rather, it is refuting traditionalism and asserting reductionism as the correct view.
I hope this helps!
