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,"After long periods of error, philosophers have at last discovered
the true rights of man and how they can all be deduced from the
single truth: that man is a perceptive being capable of reason
and acquiring moral ideas.
At last, man could proclaim his rights out loud, rights that for so
long had been ignored. He could submit all opinions to his own
reason and use that reason to search for truth.
Every man learned with pride that nature had not forever
condemned him to base his beliefs on the opinions of others or the
superstitions of antiquity.
Thus developed an understanding that the natural rights of man are
inalienable and
cannot be forfeited and a strongly expressed desire for freedom of
thought, trade, and profession. There also developed a desire to
alleviate people's suffering, to eliminate all
criminal laws against political dissenters, and to abolish torture. A
desire arose for a milder system of criminal legislation that could
give complete security to the innocent. All of these principles
gradually filtered down from philosophical works to every
class of society whose education went beyond basic literacy.
These principles became the common faith of all people."
Marquis de Condorcet, French nobleman and philosopher, Sketch
for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind,
published in 1794
Which of the following is the main claim that the author makes in the
passage?
People have natural rights that can be established through rational
inquiry.
, "After long periods of error, philosophers have at last discovered
the true rights of man and how they can all be deduced from the
single truth: that man is a perceptive being capable of reason
and acquiring moral ideas.
At last, man could proclaim his rights out loud, rights that for so
long had been ignored. He could submit all opinions to his own
reason and use that reason to search for truth.
Every man learned with pride that nature had not forever
condemned him to base his beliefs on the opinions of others or the
superstitions of antiquity.
Thus developed an understanding that the natural rights of man are
inalienable and
cannot be forfeited and a strongly expressed desire for freedom of
thought, trade, and profession. There also developed a desire to
alleviate people's suffering, to eliminate all
criminal laws against political dissenters, and to abolish torture. A
desire arose for a milder system of criminal legislation that could
give complete security to the innocent. All of these principles
gradually filtered down from philosophical works to every
class of society whose education went beyond basic literacy.
These principles became the common faith of all people."
Marquis de Condorcet, French nobleman and philosopher, Sketch
for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind,
published in 1794
Which of the following is an implicit claim that the author makes in
the second paragraph?
Religion has been a force holding back the progress of humanity.