- Thu Nov 11, 2021 5:32 pm
#92025
Hi Kristin,
Let's start by thinking generally about how the author feels about determinism? Were they in favor of these grand deterministic theories, or were they more critical? They were fairly critical of the theories in general, saying that they didn't hold up over time. So the author isn't quite convinced of the explanatory power of these theories. We'd expect then, that the feeling about the theories coming back in vogue wouldn't be a positive one.
Let's turn then to answer choices (C) and (E).
Answer choice (C) is a pretty good description of the author's view. They recognize why these theories are tempting, and are sympathetic to that temptation. However, they also recognize that deterministic theories are not going to be the final grand theory to explain all that is and all that will be ("inevitable disappointment").
Answer choice (E) on the other hand does not describe what we see in the passage. The author isn't optimistic about the nostalgia, but even more, they aren't wanting to limit the "contemplation of contingency." Take a closer look at the language right around line 45, and you'll see the author wants to encourage, not limit, contemplation.
Hope that helps!
