Metaphysics the philosophical investigation of the nature of the uni

Question

Metaphysics – the philosophical investigation of the nature of the universe and existence – had become unfashionable by the time Alfred North Whitehead began writing in earnest about it in the 1920s. The ever-more impressive accomplishments of empirical science had led to a general consensus in academia that the development of comprehensive metaphysical systems was a waste of time because they were not subject to empirical testing.

Whitehead was unimpressed by this objection. In Whitehead's view, scientists and philosophers make metaphysical assumptions about how the universe works all the time, but such assumptions are not easily seen precisely because they remain unexamined and unquestioned. Perhaps foremost among what Whitehead considered faulty metaphysical assumptions was the idea of substance materialism, which he rejected in favor of an opposite, event-based “process" ontology in which transient events are primary and material substances/beings are abstractions. He also argued that the most basic elements of reality have experiential features, that in fact everything is constituted by its experience (i.e., even things like electrons experience). Whitehead referred to his metaphysical system as "philosophy of organism," but it would become known more widely as "process philosophy."

This philosophy of Whitehead was highly original, and soon garnered interest in philosophical circles. After publishing The Concept of Nature in 1920, he served as president of the Aristotelian Society from 1922 to 1923, and Henri Bergson was quoted as saying that Whitehead was "the best philosopher writing in English." So impressive and different was Whitehead's philosophy that in 1924 he was invited to join the faculty at Harvard University as a professor of philosophy at 63 years of age, even though his educational background was in a very different field.    1  
 1. It can be inferred from the passage that those adhering to the idea of “substance materialism” would view material substances and beings as:

(A) abstract
(B) concrete
(C) event-based
(D) experiential
(E) process-driven

2  
 2. The primary purpose of this passage is to:

(A) highlight one unique contribution of an important philosopher.
(B) discuss the importance of metaphysics as a field in science.
(C) provide details on the concept of “process philosophy.”
(D) emphasize Whitehead’s place among other philosophers.
(E) prove that “process philosophy” was superior to “substance materialism.”

3  
 3. Which one of the following perspectives would best capture Whitehead’s “process philosophy”?

(A) A building is viewed through its size, materials, and aesthetics.
(B) A car is viewed through its horsepower, design, and speed.
(C) A school is viewed through its students, teachers, and staff.
(D) A business is viewed through its mission, advertising, and headquarters.
(E) A person is viewed through his experiences, interactions, and memories.

4  
 4. The author would most likely describe Whitehead’s philosophy in the early 1920s as:

(A) highly controversial
(B) unimpressive
(C) never before considered
(D) poorly understood
(E) unique and respected

5  
 5. The author of the passage would most likely agree with which of the following statements?

(A) Metaphysics is a field worthy of considerably more attention and respect.
(B) Alfred North Whitehead was successful as a challenger of conventional wisdom.
(C) Empirical science is a more respected field than is metaphysics.
(D) Alfred North Whitehead was a controversial figure among academics in the early 20th century.
(E) Alfred North Whitehead restored the prestige of metaphysics as an academic subject.

BillyZ · Accepted Answer

Official Explanation

The correct answer to this universal question is B, as it is clear from the passage that the author believes that Whitehead was successful - note the discussion in the third paragraph regarding his reputation and his " surprising " appointment to Harvard's faculty - at challenging conventional wisdom (in the third paragraph, again, the author calls his ideas " highly original " and " impressive and different "). So B must be true.

Choice A is incorrect because, for one, where the author expresses opinions they are generally about Whitehead and not about the field. Perhaps even more importantly, the only place where the author talks about how respected/important metaphysics is is in the first paragraph, where everything is written in the past tense about the way that the field was perceived in the 1920s. You simply cannot get a feel for how the author perceives the field today. Similarly, choice C is also incorrect: where the phrase "the ever-more impressive accomplishments of empirical science" is talking about the past ("had led to a general consensus") so you cannot gauge how the author would have compared the fields at the time the passage was written.

Choice D takes a stronger stance than choice B - challenging the status quo does not necessarily make someone controversial. All the evidence about how Whitehead was perceived in academia suggests that he was respected (all in the third paragraph), so there is just no evidence of any controversy. And choice E similarly lacks direct proof. While Whitehead did himself become highly respected in academia, there just isn't any discussion of how the field's perception changed in that time.

honneeey · Answer

6:45 Minutes, All Correct! Easy passage!

1. It can be inferred from the passage that those adhering to the idea of “substance materialism” would view material substances and beings as:

(A) abstract- no opposite!
(B) concrete-  Correct , this should be reverse of this portion"Whitehead considered faulty metaphysical assumptions was the idea of substance materialism, which he rejected in favor of an opposite, event-based “process" ontology in which transient events are primary and material substances/beings are abstractions..."
(C) event-based- Nopes
(D) experiential-Nopes
(E) process-driven-Nopes

B

2. The primary purpose of this passage is to:

(A) highlight one unique contribution of an important philosopher.- Correct,  this captures both the part: contribution and philosopher.
(B) discuss the importance of metaphysics as a field in science.-Importance is nowhere discussed
(C) provide details on the concept of “process philosophy.”-Partial scope
(D) emphasize Whitehead’s place among other philosophers.-Not among "other" philosophers
(E) prove that “process philosophy” was superior to “substance materialism.”-No such superiority is shown!

A

3. Which one of the following perspectives would best capture Whitehead’s “process philosophy”?

(A) A building is viewed through its size, materials, and aesthetics.-Not based on experiential events.
(B) A car is viewed through its horsepower, design, and speed.-Not based on experiential events
(C) A school is viewed through its students, teachers, and staff.-Not based on experiential events
(D) A business is viewed through its mission, advertising, and headquarters.-Not based on experiential events
(E) A person is viewed through his experiences, interactions, and memories.-  Correct ,Refer "electrons experience", based on experiential events

E

4. The author would most likely describe Whitehead’s philosophy in the early 1920s as:

(A) highly controversial-no
(B) unimpressive-no
(C) never before considered-Umm,Incorrect, refer "Metaphysics – the philosophical investigation of the nature of the universe and existence –  had become unfashionable  by the time Alfred North Whitehead began writing.." So saying never before considered would be wrong!
(D) poorly understood-Not poorly understood.
(E) unique and respected- Correct,  refer "This philosophy of Whitehead was  highly original , and soon garnered  interest in philosophical circles.. "

E

5. The author of the passage would most likely agree with which of the following statements?

(A) Metaphysics is a field worthy of considerably more attention and respect.-no, author doesn't agree with this.
(B) Alfred North Whitehead was successful as a challenger of conventional wisdom.- Correct, getting selected for professorship at Harvard shows author agrees with this. and other similar examples. 
(C) Empirical science is a more respected field than is metaphysics.--no, author doesn't agree with this.
(D) Alfred North Whitehead was a controversial figure among academics in the early 20th century.-no, author doesn't agree with this.
(E) Alfred North Whitehead restored the prestige of metaphysics as an academic subject.-no, author doesn't agree with this.

B

honneeey · Answer

Hi, 1. It can be inferred from the passage that those adhering to the idea of “substance materialism” would view material substances and beings as: Now, if you will refer the passage it states:"Whitehead considered faulty metaphysical assumptions was the idea of substance materialism, which he rejected in favor of an opposite, event-based “process" ontology in which transient events are primary and material substances/beings are abstractions..." Substance Materialism(SM) is OPPOSITE of Process Ontology(PO) In PO, Transient events-Primary Material Substances- Abstractions. Now, as we are told that PO is opposite of SM Therefore, in SM, Transient Events- Abstractions Material Substances-Primary Now, we have to proceed to the answer choice and select the choice that is closest to the word "Primary",So in Nut-shell you have to do POE! (A) abstract- no opposite! (B) concrete- Hold, Correct, (C) event-based- Nopes, opposite (D) experiential-Nopes (E) process-driven-Nopes So Only choice "B" states answer choice close to "Primary" Hope it helps! Consider giving Kudos if This explanation helped!

mallya12 · Answer

SajjadAhmad ,  GMATNinja ,  workout ,  GMATNinjaTwo ,  u1983 ,  Gnpth

How do I answer Q4? I don't see the author taking any sides.

4. The author would most likely describe Whitehead???s philosophy in the early 1920s as:

(A) highly controversial
(B) unimpressive
(C) never before considered
(D) poorly understood
(E) unique and respected

I got Q5 wrong as well. I could eliminate the last 3 options. Got confused between A and B.
Why is B correct and A wrong??
5. The author of the passage would most likely agree with which of the following statements?

(A) Metaphysics is a field worthy of considerably more attention and respect.
(B) Alfred North Whitehead was successful as a challenger of conventional wisdom.
(C) Empirical science is a more respected field than is metaphysics.
(D) Alfred North Whitehead was a controversial figure among academics in the early 20th century.
(E) Alfred North Whitehead restored the prestige of metaphysics as an academic subject.

NoMatterWhat · Answer

Question 4

if you read this statement"So impressive and different was Whitehead's philosophy that in 1924 he was invited to join the faculty at Harvard University as a professor of philosophy at 63 years of age" it will direct you to Option E

Question 5

Point to eliminate Option A

Whitehead got respect and attention, not because of the subject (metaphysics) rather because of the Philosophy which he did about the subject(metaphysics).

Hope It Helps

Thanks = KUDOS

jasmeet447 · Answer

How is the answer of Que 2 A and not D?. 
Can anyone expalin?

bM22 · Answer

Hi  jasmeet447 ,
 The answer for Question 2 will be A and not D, since the whole of the passage, only discusses about Whitehead, his opinion of Metaphysics, his objections to the view of other scientists's and philosopher's assumptions, his argument on the same, and how he went on to be known as : "the best philosopher writing in English", because his philosophy was "highly original".

Option D is incorrect, since we cannot infer any such argument regarding Whitehead’s place among other philosophers, from the passage.

Let me know if this helps.

thanks.

Ayush8765 · Answer

Can anyone explain why question 5 is b? Because it says “conventional wisdom” now can we regard the fact that in 1920s empirical science was getting more respect as conventional wisdom? Or do I find the answer in second paragraph which talks about his philosophy?

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Posted from my mobile device

kartickdey · Answer

it is stated in the passage that " The ever-more impressive accomplishments of empirical science had led to a general consensus in academia that the development of comprehensive metaphysical systems was a waste of time because they were not subject to empirical testing. " and later that " So impressive and different was Whitehead's philosophy that in 1924 he was invited to join the faculty at Harvard University ".......I think from the above statements it is inferrable that '' Alfred North Whitehead restored the prestige of metaphysics as an academic subject. ". Please clarify why the option E is wrong

miag · Answer

Hi,

E is wrong because the passage shows Whitehead became respected, not that metaphysics as a field regained prestige in academia - this broader scope has not been mentioned in the passage anywhere.

Hope this helps!

Vibhatu · Answer

question 5 please explain why not E?

Bunuel · Answer

This post  addresses that issue. Hope it helps.

Metaphysics the philosophical investigation of the nature of the uni

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Metaphysics the philosophical investigation of the nature of the uni

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