To a neuroscientist, you are your brain; nothing causes your behavior

Question

Passage A

To a neuroscientist, you are your brain; nothing
causes your behavior other than the operations of your
brain. This viewpoint, together with recent findings in
neuroscience, radically changes the way we think
  (5)   about the law. The official line in the law is that all
that matters is whether you are rational, but you can
have someone who is totally rational even though their
strings are being pulled by something beyond their
control. Indeed, people who believe themselves to be
  (10)   making a free and rational moral choice may really be
deluding themselves—a brain scan might show that
such a choice correlates with activity in emotional
centers in the brain rather than in the region of the
brain associated with deliberative problem solving.
  (15)   This insight suggests that the criminal-justice system
should abandon the idea of retribution—the idea that
bad people should be punished because of their freely
chosen immoral acts—which is now dominant as a
justification of punishment. Instead, the law should
  (20)   focus on deterring future harms. In some cases, this
might mean lighter punishments. If it is really true that
we do not get any prevention bang from our
punishment buck when we punish some person, then it
is not worth punishing that person.

Passage B

(25)   Neuroscience constantly produces new
mechanistic descriptions of how the physical brain
causes behavior, adding fuel to the deterministic view
that all human action is causally necessitated by events
that are independent of the will. It has long been
  (30)   argued, however, that the concept of free will can
coexist with determinism.

In 1954 English philosopher Alfred J. Ayer put
forth a theory of “soft determinism.” He argued, as the
philosopher David Hume had two centuries earlier,
  (35)   that even in a deterministic world, a person can still
act freely. Ayer distinguished between free actions and
constrained actions. Free actions are those that are
caused by internal sources, by one’s own will (unless
one is suffering from a disorder). Constrained actions
  (40)   are those that are caused by external sources, for
example, by someone or something forcing you
physically or mentally to perform an action, as in
hypnosis or in mental disorders such as kleptomania.
When someone performs a free action to do A, he or
  (45)   she could have done B instead, since no external
source precluded doing so. When someone performs a
constrained action to do A, he or she could have done
only A.

Ayer argued that actions are free as long as they
  (50)   are not constrained. It is not the existence of a cause
but the source of the cause that determines whether an
action is free. Although Ayer did not explicitly discuss
the brain’s role, one could make the analogy that those
actions—and indeed those wills—that originate from
  (55)   a disease-free brain are not constrained, and are
therefore free, even though they may be determined.    1 
 1. Both passages are concerned with answering which one of the following questions?

(A) Should people be punished for actions that are outside of their control?
(B) Does scientific research into the brain have implications regarding freedom of the will?
(C) Can actions that are not free be effectively deterred by the threat of punishment?
(D) Is the view that retribution is a legitimate justification for punishment compatible with the findings of neuroscience?
(E) Can an action be free if someone else physically forced the actor to perform it?

2 
 2. Which one of the following concepts plays a role in the argument of passage B but not in that of passage A?

(A) mental disorder
(B) free choice
(C) causality
(D) self-delusion
(E) moral responsibility

3 
 3. One purpose of the reference by the author of passage B to David Hume (line 34) is to

(A) characterize Ayer as someone who is not an original thinker
(B) add credence to the theory of soft determinism
(C) suggest that the theory of soft determinism is primarily of historical importance
(D) suggest that the theory of soft determinism has been in existence as long as mechanistic descriptions of the brain have
(E) add intellectual respectability to the view that the brain should not be described mechanistically

4 
 4. Passage B differs from passage A in that passage B displays an attitude toward the ideas it discusses that is more

(A) engaged
(B) dismissive
(C) detached
(D) ironic
(E) skeptical

5 
 5. Which one of the following arguments is most analogous to the argument advanced in passage A?

(A) Many word processors are packed with nonessential features that only confuse most users and get in the way of important functions. Word processors with fewer features thus enhance productivity.
(B) Economic models generally presume that actors in an economy are entirely rational. But psychological studies have documented many ways in which people make irrational choices. Thus, economic models, in theory, should not be able to predict human behavior.
(C) The existing program for teaching mathematics in elementary schools is based on mistaken notions about what sorts of mathematical concepts children can grasp, and it should therefore be replaced.
(D) Civil disobedience is justified only in those cases in which civil law conflicts with one’s sincere moral or religious convictions. Any attempt to justify civil disobedience on something other than moral or religious grounds is therefore illegitimate.
(E) Being autonomous does not imply having full control over one’s behavior. After all, addicted smokers are unable to exercise control over some behaviors but are nevertheless autonomous in the general sense.

RC Butler 2023  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 21 Date: 15-Feb-2023
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2023 .  Click here for Details

Source:   LSAT Official PrepTest 74   
 Difficulty Level:   700

kaushikdk003 · Answer

Can anyone please explain answers to Q 4 and 5th? Thanks.

Posted from my mobile device

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. Passage B differs from passage A in that passage B displays an attitude toward the ideas it discusses that is more

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

The question is asking about the relative tones of the passages. Use your Bottom Line of each passage.

A. No.  This answer choice is reversed. Passage A is advocating a point of view, while passage B is presenting a theory.

B. No.  Neither passage is negative in tone.

C.  Yes.   Passage A is advocating a point of view, while passage B is presenting a theory without passing judgment.

D. No.  Neither passage uses irony.E. No. Neither passage is negative in tone.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

5. Which one of the following arguments is most analogous to the argument advanced in passage A?

Difficulty Level:   750

Explanation

The question is asking for an argument analogous to that in passage A. Passage A argues against the current punishment system because of new neuroscience findings. (Note: You can approach this question similarly to the way you would approach a Parallel the Reasoning Arguments question.)

A. No.  Passage A does not discuss reducing features.

B. No.  While this answer may be tempting because it mentions rationality, passage A does not discuss irrational actions.

C.  Yes.   As in passage A, this answer argues against a current system because of updated information about the brain.

D. No.  Passage A rejects a justification based on new findings about the brain.

E. No.  This answer choice does not discuss rejecting a current system.

Answer: C

ArtemNYC · Answer

1. Both passages are concerned  with answering  which one of the following questions? 
Answer: B

(A) Should people be punished for actions that are outside of their control?
  (B) Does scientific research into the brain have implications regarding freedom of the will?  
  (C) Can actions that are not free be effectively deterred by the threat of punishment?  
(D) Is the view that retribution is a legitimate justification for punishment compatible with the findings of neuroscience?
(E) Can an action be free if someone else physically forced the actor to perform it?

Both passages address the question of how scientific research into the brain affects freedom of the will.  Passage A  presents the viewpoint that the brain entirely determines a person's behavior and how this changes our understanding of the law.  Passage B  presents an alternative viewpoint that free will can coexist with determinism and depends on the source of the cause of action. Thus, both passages discuss the question of free will and its implications in light of neuroscientific findings.

ArtemNYC · Answer

Hi! Could you be more specific,  why the correct answer is C  and cannot be B ? 
Opinion: option (C) "detached" suggests a more neutral or objective stance, which doesn't accurately capture the confrontational or critical tone that Passage B takes towards the ideas in Passage A.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

(C) Detached:   Passage B presents the ideas of Alfred J. Ayer and discusses the concept of  "soft determinism"  without displaying a strong emotional or judgmental tone. It presents the arguments and ideas in a neutral and objective manner, allowing readers to consider the ideas on their own merits. It doesn't take a strong stance against or in favor of these ideas, and it doesn't dismiss them outright. Instead, it explores the concept of free will within the context of determinism, leaving room for readers to form their own opinions.

(B) Dismissive:   The term  "dismissive"  implies a negative or scornful attitude towards the ideas being discussed. Passage B does not exhibit such an attitude. It does not ridicule or reject Ayer's theory of soft determinism or the idea that free will can coexist with determinism. Instead, it presents Ayer's arguments and provides a reasoned discussion of these ideas. There is no indication that the passage is dismissive of these ideas.

johnnymbikes · Answer

For #5: Which one of the following arguments is most analogous to the argument advanced in passage A?

(C) The existing program for teaching mathematics in elementary schools is based on mistaken notions about what sorts of mathematical concepts children can grasp, and it should therefore be replaced.
(E) Being autonomous does not imply having full control over one’s behavior. After all, addicted smokers are unable to exercise control over some behaviors but are nevertheless autonomous in the general sense.

The beginning of Para 1: "To a neuroscientist, you are your brain; nothing causes your behavior other than the operations of your brain. This viewpoint, together with recent findings in neuroscience, radically changes the way we think (5) about the law. The official line in the law is that all that matters is whether you are rational, but you can have someone who is totally rational even though their strings are being pulled by something beyond their control. "

This led me to pick E. But is E wrong because technically this isn't an argument - it's more a statement regarding the "official line in the law" ?

Where as later in the passage "Instead, the law should (20) focus on deterring future harms. In some cases, this might mean lighter punishments. If it is really true that we do not get any prevention bang from our punishment buck when we punish some person, then it is not worth punishing that person." This is actually proposing an argument that if the punishment is not effective in crime prevention, then it should be scrapped.

Could you clarify / confirm that E was a trap answer because it was a *statement* and not an *argument* ?

RohitSharma001 · Answer

Hi, Is there an official answer key to all the questions in this paragraph? Why are the other options wrong.

To a neuroscientist, you are your brain; nothing causes your behavior

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To a neuroscientist, you are your brain; nothing causes your behavior

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