PT102.S1.P4.Q26 > Analytics

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Scientists typically advocate the analytic method of studying complex systems: systems are divided into component parts that are investigated separately. ███

Scientists' perspective · Analytic method

For complex systems, divide into component parts and study each part.

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Critics' perspective · System loses complexity when parts are studied separately

Critics' new concept · Organicism

The whole determines the parts, and the parts are interdependent. ("Perceived" weaknesses suggests author will later say these weaknesses in analytic method were not real.)

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Basis of organicism · Theory of internal relations

Entities have relationships with each other only if they're part of a whole that contains the entities. Relationships alter each entity, and relationships determine defining characteristics of an entity.

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Critique of internal relations theory · Not all characteristics of an entity define that entity

Entities can have relationships that don't change the entities.

Additional critique of internal relations theory · Makes acquiring knowledge impossible

According to the theory, to known an entity, you have to know all of its relationships. But that seems impossible to do.

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Origin of organicism · Didn't understand the analytic method

Analytic method doesn't involve studying individual parts in complete isolation from the whole. Scientists still studied laws and initial conditions of the whole system.

Main point · Rejection of organicism

No valid reason to abandon analytic method. Organicists didn't show that we can't discover the laws and initial conditions of complex systems.

Passage Style

Critique or debate

26.

Which one of the following ██ █ █████████ ████ █████ ███ ██████ █████ ██ ████████ ███████ ███ ██████ ██ ████████ ██████████

Question Type

Implied

Principle or generalization

This is an Implied Principle question. The author argues against the theory of internal relations because not all of an entity’s characteristics will be defining characteristics (in P3), and because the theory of internal relations makes it impossible to acquire knowledge (in P4). We're looking for a generalized principle that supports one of these objections.

An adequate theory ██ ███████ ███████ ████ ██████ ███ ████████ ██ █████ ███ ██████ ██ █████████

Unsupported. The author does not argue against the theory of internal relations on the grounds that it fails to define the entities that make up a system.

21%

An acceptable theory ██████ ████ ████████████ ████ ██████████ ███ █████ ████████

This is supported in P4. The purpose of the theory of internal relations is to study complex systems, but the author argues that it makes acquiring knowledge impossible, thus contradicting its basic purpose.

34%

An adequate method ██ █████ ██ ███████ ███████ ██████ ██████ ███ ██████ ██████████ ██ ███ ███████ ██ ████████

The author’s argument is based on the fact that not all of an entity’s characteristics will be defining characteristics and the fact that the theory of internal relations makes it impossible to acquire knowledge. Internal relations may or may not accomplish (C), but it doesn’t matter for us, because the author doesn’t give the ability to reveal complexity as a condition for evaluating internal relations. This is not the actual reasoning given by the author. Because of this, this can’t be the underlying principle of the author’s argument.

15%

An acceptable theory ████ ████████ ███ ████ ███ ███████ ██████████ ██ █ ███████ ███████

Unsupported. The author does not presume that an acceptable theory must describe the laws and initial conditions of a complex system. All we know is that this is something that the analytic method does. This isn’t given as a requirement for theories, and we don’t know whether or not the theory of internal relations does this.

14%

An acceptable method ██ ████████ ███████ ███████ ██████ ███ █████ █████ ██ ███ ██████ ██ █████████ ████ ███ ██████ ██ █ ██████

Unsupported. This is not a principle that the author uses to argue against the theory of internal relations. Actually, it’s a principle that the organicists use to argue against the analytic method.

16%

PrepTest 102 - Section 1 - Passage 4 - Question 26

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