CAE Reading and Use of English Part 6
You are going to read four reviews a book about how empathy might be considered a sixth sense. For questions 37-40, choose from the reviews A-D. The reviews may be chosen more than once.
Empathy – our sixth sense?
A
The belief that humans possess a sense in addition to the five we are aware of is by no means new or revolutionary. Far from it. The proponents of a ‘Sixth Sense’ have a conviction that since scientists cannot yet understand the function of a significant part of our brains, that there must be a sixth sense hiding in there somewhere. In this, they are rather similar to those who insist that because the universe is so vast, there simply has to be life beyond Earth. In her book ‘Empathy- sixth sense?’ Anna Dawlish deals with the possibility that the ways human beings understand and identify with others’ emotions may potentially hold the answer to the question of that extra sense. In that, I applaud her thinking. However, for me the research was not sound, and I found myself confused by a sea of anecdotal evidence. Her link between intuition and empathy could have been better made, and the logical structure of the book seemed flawed to me. I remained unconvinced that reading the book had been a good investment of my time.
B
My immediate reaction to reading ‘Empathy – sixth sense?’ was one of relief. It appears that there might be a specific reason for what people have labelled ‘my extreme sensitivity’. I’ve long mocked my own tendency to cry easily, described my discomfort in crowds and preference for solitude as phobic, and considered my physical reactions to others’ injuries as squeamish and a weakness. Dawlish has allowed me to reconsider this self-assessment by maintaining that we all have a threshold for empathising with others, and that some, like yours truly, have a low one – basically, I identify with others’ feelings, etc. more than most people do. It is good to read about a topic that people actually haven’t considered before, and the book is well-constructed and easy to follow, but I do wonder however whether she goes too far (certainly out on a limb as far as other psychologists are concerned) when she speculates that this characteristic is in some way linked to a sixth sense. It seems to me that although offering some convincing evidence for her claims that this is something slightly more than a personality trait, to give extreme empathy this title is awarding it too much significance.
C
There seems to be a fashion these days to attribute certain behaviour to our genetic make-up and while I admit that there are some conditions that warrant this, for the most part, giving scientifically official sounding names to things that are simply elements of people’s characters irritates me considerably. ‘Empathy – sixth sense?’ by Anna Oawlish is an example of one such trend in my estimation. We all know the meaning of empathy but to suggest that it could be considered a sixth sense is simply, in my view, a clear-cut attempt to get a book on the best-sellers list. I would perhaps be less irritated if Ms Dawlish had written a book that clearly presented her ideas, with a logical progression. Instead, her writing takes the reader off on tangents and, in particular, her chapter on hunches seems disconnected from the main thrust of her arguments. In spite of my being an overly sensitive person, there is no way I could consider myself to have a sixth sense. The idea is, unfortunately, laughable.
D
‘Empathy – sixth sense?’ takes us through some fascinating interviews with people who have a high level of empathy, and who, according to the writer, are ultra-sensitive to the feelings and intentions of others. This publication is just the most recent in a long line of many on the popular topic of empathy, but differs from the rest in terms of its central premise that extreme empathy can be considered a sixth sense. While I can understand that empathy can explain in psychological terms the idea of hunches and intuition and removes the psychic element, the book has been compiled without any proper scientific studies and as such cannot be seen as adding anything relevant to that search for a sixth sense which intrigues so many of us. While doing little to satisfy this quest, I found the book engaging which was mainly due to the colourful characters whose experiences are documented.
Which reviewer …
37 holds a different view from the others regarding whether empathy may be considered a sixth sense?
38 disagrees with reviewer C about how the book develops?
39 has a similar view to reviewer D about the proof offered in the book for the theories stated?
40 has a similar view to reviewer C about the book reflecting current public interest?
For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary