Q60. Many, if not most, people find history uninteresting, and are unable to see the point of making the effort to learn about it. However, in his book Reason and Common Sense, philosopher George Santayana argued, 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’.
Which of the following assumptions is central to the argument above?
Q60. Many, if not most, people find history uninteresting, and are unable to see the point of making the effort to learn about it. However, in his book Reason and Common Sense, philosopher George Santayana argued, 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’.
Which of the following assumptions is central to the argument above?
The correct option is A (a) One who knows about similar mistakes made in the past can avoid mistakes.
Philosopher Santayana's point is clear. Awareness of the past mistakes enables one to avoid similar mistakes. Absence of this awareness means that experience would not exercise the cautionary influence and as a result the same mistake would be repeated.
The answer choice (a) is definitely an assumption. Despite knowing about past mistake if one repeats the same mistakes then knowledge and awareness of the past does not help. Those who remember the past and those who do not sail in the same boat. In such a situation the philosopher's statement would lose sharpness.
If fate determines our decisions the knowledge or awareness of past mistakes become irrelevant. This position would make the philosopher’s position irrelevant, if not incorrect. Hence, (b) cannot be an assumption.
Answer choice (c) directly contradicts the philosopher's statement. Hence, (c) cannot be an assumption.
Answer choice (d) also runs counter to the statement of the philosopher. If lessons of the past are not transferable to present time, how would such experience help future generations to avoid similar mistake? Experience of the past must have the ability to influence decisions in future. That is an essential condition for validity of the statement. By negating this condition (d) runs counter to the statement.
(a) One who knows about similar mistakes made in the past can avoid mistakes.
Philosopher Santayana's point is clear. Awareness of the past mistakes enables one to avoid similar mistakes. Absence of this awareness means that experience would not exercise the cautionary influence and as a result the same mistake would be repeated.
The answer choice (a) is definitely an assumption. Despite knowing about past mistake if one repeats the same mistakes then knowledge and awareness of the past does not help. Those who remember the past and those who do not sail in the same boat. In such a situation the philosopher's statement would lose sharpness.
If fate determines our decisions the knowledge or awareness of past mistakes become irrelevant. This position would make the philosopher’s position irrelevant, if not incorrect. Hence, (b) cannot be an assumption.
Answer choice (c) directly contradicts the philosopher's statement. Hence, (c) cannot be an assumption.
Answer choice (d) also runs counter to the statement of the philosopher. If lessons of the past are not transferable to present time, how would such experience help future generations to avoid similar mistake? Experience of the past must have the ability to influence decisions in future. That is an essential condition for validity of the statement. By negating this condition (d) runs counter to the statement.
