make，similar to，avoid，bring，tell，unless，until，which，contrary to， from，aware of, prone

To avoid the various foolish opinions to which mankind are (51) ______, no superhuman genius is required. A few simple rules will keep you, not from all errors, but (52) ______ silly errors.

    If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have (53) ______. the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle to keep her mouth open while he counted. He did not do so because he thought he knew. Thinking that you know when in fact you don’t is a fatal mistake, to which we are all prone. I believe myself that hedgehogs eat black beetles, because I have been (54) ______ that they do; but if I were writing a book on the habits of hedgehogs, I should not commit myself (55) ______I had seen one enjoying this unappetizing diet. Aristotle, however, was less cautious. Ancient and medieval authors knew all about unicorns and salamanders; not one of them thought it necessary to avoid dogmatic statements about them because he had never seen one of them.

    Many matters, however, are less easily (56) ______ to the test of experience. If, like most of mankind, you have passionate convictions on many such matters, there are ways in which you can make yourself (57) ______ your own bias. If an opinion (58) ______ your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do. If someone maintains that two and two are five, or that Iceland is on the equator, you feel pity rather than anger, (59) ______ you know so little of arithmetic or geographyfrom，aware of, prone

that his opinion shakes your own contrary conviction. The most savage controversies are those about matters as to (60) ______ there is no good evidence either way. Persecution is used in theology, not in arithmetic, because in arithmetic there is knowledge, but in the theology there is only opinion.

(From How to Avoid the Foolish Opinions)

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