Dogmatic and Critical Thinking in Science
CAT 2006 Slot 1 · VARC · Medium · Reading Comprehension
Passage / data set
Our propensity to look out for regularities, and to impose laws upon nature, leads to the psychological phenomenon of dogmatic thinking or, more generally, dogmatic behaviour: we expect regularities everywhere and attempt to find them even where there are none; events which do not yield to these attempts we are inclined to treat as a kind of 'background noise'; and we stick to our expectations even when they are inadequate and we ought to accept defeat. This dogmatism is to some extent necessary. It is demanded by a situation which can only be dealt with by forcing our conjectures upon the world. Moreover, this dogmatism allows us to approach a good theory in stages, by way of approximations: if we accept defeat too easily, we may prevent ourselves from finding that we were very nearly right.
It is clear that this dogmatic attitude, which makes us stick to our first impressions, is indicative of a strong belief; while a critical attitude, which is ready to modify its tenets, which admits doubt and demands tests, is indicative of a weaker belief... But the distinction between dogmatic and critical thinking, or the dogmatic and the critical attitude, brings us right back to our central problem. For the dogmatic attitude is clearly related to the tendency to verify our laws and schemata by seeking to apply them and to confirm them... whereas the critical attitude is one of readiness to change them — to test them; to refute them; to falsify them, if possible... A critical attitude needs for its raw material, as it were, theories or beliefs which are held more or less dogmatically.
Thus, science must begin with myths, and with the criticism of myths; neither with the collection of observations, nor with the invention of experiments, but with the critical discussion of myths, and of magical techniques and practices.
Question 1 of 5
In the context of science, according to the passage, the interaction of dogmatic beliefs and critical attitude can be best described as:
- A.
A duel between two warriors in which one has to die.
- B.
The effect of a chisel on a marble stone while making a sculpture.
- C.
The feedshare (natural gas) in fertilizer industry being transformed into fertilizers.
- D.
A predator killing its prey.
- E.
The effect of fertilizers on a sapling.
The effect of a chisel on a marble stone while making a sculpture.
Explanation
The passage notes that the critical attitude needs dogmatic beliefs as its raw material to refine and shape them. This is analogous to a chisel shaping raw marble into a sculpture.
Question 2 of 5
According to the passage, the role of a dogmatic attitude or dogmatic behaviour in the development of science is
- A.
critical and important, as, without it, initial hypotheses or conjectures can never be made.
- B.
positive, as conjectures arising out of our dogmatic attitude become science.
- C.
negative, as it leads to pseudo-science.
- D.
neutral, as the development of science is essentially because of our critical attitude.
- E.
inferior to critical attitude, as a critical attitude leads to the attitude of reasonableness and rationality.
critical and important, as, without it, initial hypotheses or conjectures can never be made.
Explanation
Paragraph 1 states that dogmatism is necessary because it allows us to form initial conjectures and approximations without giving up too easily.
Question 3 of 5
Dogmatic behaviour, in this passage, has been associated with primitives and children. Which of the following best describes the reason why the author compares primitives with children?
- A.
Primitives are people who are not educated, and hence can be compared with children, who have not yet been through school.
- B.
Primitives are people who, though not modern, are as innocent as children.
- C.
Primitives are people without a critical attitude, just as children are.
- D.
Primitives are people in the early stages of human evolution; similarly, children are in the early stages of their lives.
- E.
Primitives are people who are not civilized enough, just as children are not.
Primitives are people in the early stages of human evolution; similarly, children are in the early stages of their lives.
Explanation
The passage links increasing experience and maturity with moving away from dogmatism toward caution and criticism, reflecting early evolutionary/developmental stages.
Question 4 of 5
Which of the following statements best supports the argument in the passage that a critical attitude leads to a weaker belief than a dogmatic attitude does?
- A.
A critical attitude implies endless questioning, and, therefore, it cannot lead to strong beliefs.
- B.
A critical attitude, by definition, is centred on an analysis of anomalies and "noise".
- C.
A critical attitude leads to questioning everything, and in the process generates "noise" without any conviction.
- D.
A critical attitude is antithetical to conviction, which is required for strong beliefs.
- E.
A critical attitude leads to questioning and to tentative hypotheses.
A critical attitude leads to questioning and to tentative hypotheses.
Explanation
The text states that a critical attitude leaves all theories tentative or conjectural, making beliefs weaker compared to dogmatic certainty.
Question 5 of 5
According to the passage, which of the following statements best describes the difference between science and pseudo-science?
- A.
Scientific theories or hypotheses are tentatively true whereas pseudo-sciences are always true.
- B.
Scientific laws and theories are permanent and immutable whereas pseudo-sciences are contingent on the prevalent mode of thinking in a society.
- C.
Science always allows the possibility of rejecting a theory or hypothesis, whereas pseudo-sciences seek to validate their ideas or theories.
- D.
Science focuses on anomalies and exceptions so that fundamental truths can be uncovered, whereas pseudo-sciences focus mainly on general truths.
- E.
Science progresses by collection of observations or by experimentation, whereas pseudo-sciences do not worry about observations and experiments.
Science always allows the possibility of rejecting a theory or hypothesis, whereas pseudo-sciences seek to validate their ideas or theories.
Explanation
The passage identifies the dogmatic (pseudo-scientific) attitude with attempting to verify/confirm schemata while ignoring refutations, whereas the scientific (critical) attitude seeks to test and falsify.
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