Today, it is impossible to believe we are privileged creatures

Question

Today, it is impossible to believe we are privileged creatures literally created by divine powers or spiritual forces. We know too much. As the theory of evolution tells us: go back far enough, and our ancestors were not ‘human’ but merely human-like. In fact, many of the traits we once thought made us unique have shown up in other species. Other animals can problem-solve creatively, communicate using symbolic language, become indignant when treated unfairly, and mourn the dead. These evolutionary discoveries have profound implications for the stories our species tells itself.

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument in the passage?

(A) Recent studies have shown that human cognitive abilities, such as complex problem-solving and symbolic language, are still significantly more advanced compared to those observed in other species.

(B) The theory of evolution has been widely criticized for not adequately explaining the origin of human consciousness and moral reasoning.

(C) Many cultural and religious traditions maintain that humans possess a unique spiritual essence that distinguishes them from other animals.

(D) Paleontological evidence suggests that the anatomical differences between early hominins and modern humans are far less significant than previously thought.

(E) In certain controlled experiments, animals have demonstrated abilities to recognize themselves in mirrors, a cognitive skill once believed to be uniquely human.

divyutdebbie · Answer

(B) The theory of evolution has been widely criticized for not adequately explaining the origin of human consciousness and moral reasoning.

Could you explain why this wouldn't be a valid argument as this is something that will distinctly differentiate between humans and other species?

deborit · Answer

Why the C is wrong ? I stuck between A & C to eliminate.

Godhimself · Answer

Let's understand the gist of the paragraph:

The argument suggests that evolutionary discoveries have significantly changed our understanding of what it means to be human, challenging the notion of human exceptionalism that is rooted in divine or spiritual creation myths. By demonstrating that traits we thought were uniquely human are actually shared with other animals, the passage argues against the idea that humans hold a special, privileged position in the natural world.

Now we have to  weaken  this:

Option A  directly addresses the core of the argument by showing that, despite similarities, humans possess much more advanced cognitive abilities. This reaffirms human uniqueness, which would weaken the argument.

Option B , on the other hand, criticizes the theory of evolution for not adequately explaining human consciousness and moral reasoning. While this criticism could imply limitations in our understanding of human uniqueness, it does not directly weaken the specific evolutionary discoveries mentioned in the passage regarding traits shared with other species.

Thus, Option A> Option B

Godhimself · Answer

Logic:

The passage primarily focuses on evolutionary discoveries and scientific evidence regarding traits once thought to be uniquely human. It discusses how these traits have been found in other species, challenging traditional views of human uniqueness. Option C, however, addresses cultural and religious beliefs about human uniqueness based on spiritual essence, which is not directly related to the evolutionary evidence presented in the passage.

Thus, Option A> Option C

krysss · Answer

Today, it is impossible to believe we are privileged creatures literally created by divine powers or spiritual forces. We know too much. As the theory of evolution tells us: go back far enough, and our ancestors were not ‘human’ but merely human-like. In fact, many of the traits we once thought made us unique have shown up in other species. Other animals can problem-solve creatively, communicate using symbolic language, become indignant when treated unfairly, and mourn the dead. These evolutionary discoveries have profound implications for the stories our species tells itself.

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument in the passage?

(A) Recent studies have shown that human cognitive abilities, such as c omplex problem-solving and symbolic language , are still significantly more advanced compared to those observed in other species. >>>
directly mention the traits in the claims > even though they have, we are "significantly more advanced" than them > we are unique, the words describing the extent strongly indicate the difference 
(B) The theory of evolution has been widely criticized for not adequately explaining the origin of human consciousness and moral reasoning. >>>
the theory of evolution just mention our ancestors are not human, not correlate to the origin.....
(C) Many cultural and religious traditions maintain that humans possess a unique spiritual essence that distinguishes them from other animals. >>>
offer another evidence, we keep this option, but we can find a better option, option a, which directly answered the question. 
(D) Paleontological evidence suggests that the anatomical differences between early hominins and modern humans are far less significant than previously thought. >>>
more tiny difference between human-like(other animals) and human, actually support the claims 
(E) In certain controlled experiments, animals have demonstrated abilities to recognize themselves in mirrors, a cognitive skill once believed to be uniquely human. >>>
support

vish1403 · Answer

How could A be right?
As it is saying that humans pose advance cognitive skill than other animals but that's what evolution means.
Humans' evolute from being less advance to advanced stage.

Answer should B, because it directly criticizes the evolution theory which is imposed in premise to support the conclusion.

Today, it is impossible to believe we are privileged creatures

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Today, it is impossible to believe we are privileged creatures