Question

The question whether intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is certainly imprecise, because we are not sure how different from use something might be and still count as "intelligent life" Yet we cannot just decide to define "intelligent life" in some more precise way since it is likely that we will find and recognize intelligent life elsewhere in the universe only if we leave our definitions open to new, unimagined possibilities.

The argument can most reasonably be interpreted as an objection to which one of the following claims?

(A) The question whether intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is one that will never correctly be answered.

(B) Whether or not there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, our understanding of intelligent life is limited.

(C) The question about the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe must be made more precise if we hope to answer it correctly.

(D) The question whether there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe is so imprecise as to be meaningless.

(E) The question whether there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe is one we should not spend our time trying to answer.

Answer 1

The passage challenges the claim that the question about the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe must be made more precise in order to answer correctly.

Step-by-step explanation:

The argument in the given passage can most reasonably be interpreted as an objection to claim (C) The question about the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe must be made more precise if we hope to answer it correctly. The passage argues that defining "intelligent life" in a more precise way would limit our ability to recognize new and unimagined possibilities of intelligent life. The author suggests that leaving our definitions open to new possibilities is necessary in order to find and recognize intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Therefore, the passage challenges the claim that the question must be made more precise.