But yet, if any one will be so skeptical as to distrust his senses, an

Question

But yet, if any one will be so skeptical as to distrust his senses, and to affirm that all we see and hear, feel and taste, think and do, during our whole being, is but the series and deluding appearances of a long dream, whereof there is no reality; and therefore will question the existence of all things, or our knowledge of anything: I must desire him to consider, that, if all be a dream, then he doth but dream that he makes the question, and so it is not much matter that a waking man should answer him.

But yet, if he pleases, he may dream that I make him this answer that the certainty of things existing in rerum natura when we have the testimony of our senses for it is not only as great as our frame can attain to, but as our condition needs. For, our faculties being suited not to the full extent of being, nor to a perfect, clear, comprehensive knowledge of things free from all doubt and scruple; but to the preservation of us, in whom they are; and accommodated to the use of life: they serve to our purpose wen enough, if they will but give us certain notice of those things, which are convenient or inconvenient to us.

For he that sees a candle burning, and hath experimented the force of its flame by putting his finger in it, will little doubt that this is something existing without him, which does him harm, and puts him to great pain; which is assurance enough, when no man requires greater certainty to govern his actions by than what is as certain as his actions themselves. And if our dreamer pleases to try whether the glowing heat of a glass furnace be barely a wandering imagination in a drowsy man's fancy, by putting his hand into it, he may perhaps be wakened into a certainty greater than he could wish, that it is something more than bare imagination.

So that this evidence is as great as we can desire, being as certain to us as our pleasure or pain, i.e. happiness or misery; beyond which we have no concernment, either of knowing or being. Such an assurance of the existence of things without us is sufficient to direct us in the attaining the good and avoiding the evil which is caused by them, which is the important concernment we have of being made acquainted with them.    1 
 1. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes that __________.

A. knowledge gained through experimentation is the only valid kind of knowledge
B. dreams are not based on real events
C. radical skepticism was a popular position when the author was writing
D. things that are hot are always painful to touch
E. the existence of the world is something that cannot, and need not, be absolutely proven

2 
 2. The author's tone in this passage is best described as __________.

A. Didactic
B. Bemused
C. Detached
D. Fanciful
E. Sardonic

3 
 3. In this passage, the author is primarily concerned with arguing against the position that __________.

A. people are born with certain innate ideas of things
B. the senses might tell us nothing about the world
C. the senses give us perfect insight into the natures of things
D. pain is to be sought and pleasure avoided
E. the senses do not accurately tell us what is pleasurable or painful

4 
 4. The author primarily believes that radical skepticism is an unreasonable position because __________.

A. it is to our advantage to trust what the senses tell us about what gives pleasure or pain
B. experimental evidence shows that the world exists
C. radical skepticism is logically inconsistent
D. the senses can be trusted to tell us about the nature of the world
E. it can be proved that the world exists

RC Butler 2023  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 173 Date: 01-Jun-2023
 This question is part of RC Butler 2023 .  Click here for Details

Shreyjain100 · Answer

sir, can you provide the explanation
 of 4th question.

Vishal_Jain · Answer

Hello  Shreyjain100 ,
I got this question correct by option elimination. 
For option A : it is to our advantage to trust what the senses tell us about what gives pleasure or pain
The author does speak about senses as guide to navigate across pain (like burning candle) and pleasure 
for further proof you may look at these lines 
" So that this evidence is as great as we can desire, being as certain to us as our pleasure or pain, i.e. happiness or misery; beyond which we have no concernment, either of knowing or being" 
" they serve to our purpose wen enough, if they will but give us certain notice of those things, which are convenient or inconvenient to us."

So, hold onto option A

Option B : experimental evidence shows that the world exists
No experimental evidence is talked about ---> reject
Option C : radical skepticism is logically inconsistent 
The author doesn't say it is logically inconsistent, he just says we cant deny on the information provided by our senses. 
I felt option A better than C ---> Reject
Option D : the senses can be trusted to tell us about the nature of the world 
The fault with this one is the senses does help us in maneuvering our journey keep us away from troubles. However, it doesn't prove about the complete nature of world or if the world exists at all. ---> Reject
Option E : it can be proved that the world exists
Similar explanation as option D ---> Reject

Out of the options A is best.

P.S I was confused with this particularly but got right by above strategy.

Thanks & Regards
Vishal_ Jain.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. The author primarily believes that radical skepticism is an unreasonable position because __________.

Explanation

The passage discusses the position of radical skepticism, which questions the existence of all things or our knowledge of anything. The author argues against this position and presents reasons why radical skepticism is unreasonable.

The author suggests that it is not reasonable to be skeptical to the extent of distrusting our senses and questioning the existence of everything. The author argues that our senses provide us with certainty and evidence of the existence of things in the world. The author states that the certainty of things existing, based on the testimony of our senses, is as great as our condition needs and is suited to the purpose of our lives.

The passage further explains that our faculties, such as our senses, are not meant to provide us with a perfect and comprehensive knowledge of things. Instead, they are designed to serve our purpose in preserving ourselves and to give us certain notice of things that are convenient or inconvenient to us. The author argues that the evidence provided by our senses is sufficient to direct us in attaining what is good and avoiding what is harmful or causes us pain.

Therefore, the author primarily believes that radical skepticism is an unreasonable position because it is to our advantage to trust what the senses tell us about what gives pleasure or pain. The evidence provided by our senses guides our actions and helps us make decisions based on the reality of the world we experience.

Hence, the correct answer is (A) it is to our advantage to trust what the senses tell us about what gives pleasure or pain.

Answer: A

But yet, if any one will be so skeptical as to distrust his senses, an

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But yet, if any one will be so skeptical as to distrust his senses, an

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