Question 16.

Option A: The passage states that "laws of property represent the interest in ownership and control. Customs such as parental authority represent the interest of childhood in safety and growth." It then goes on to say that "interests such as these constitute the version of human nature sanctioned by society." This suggests that the concept of human nature is not fixed but rather emerges out of historical context and is shaped by society. Therefore, it can be inferred that the significance of parental authority to children's safety does not imply that parental authority is a permanent aspect of human nature.

Option B: This claim can be inferred - the author states that "critical theory of technology is a political theory of modernity with a normative dimension" and that it belongs to a tradition "according to which advances in the formal claims of human rights take centre stage while in the background centralization of ever more powerful public institutions and private organizations imposes an authoritarian social order." This suggests that the critical theory of technology argues that as issues of human rights become more prominent, the social order becomes more authoritarian.

Option C: We are told that "a hermeneutics of technology must make explicit the meanings implicit in the devices we use and the rituals they script" and that "social histories of technologies such as the bicycle, artificial lighting or firearms have made important contributions to this type of analysis." This suggests that engaging with the social histories of technologies is necessary to understand their implicit and explicit meanings for us.

Option D: This cannot be inferred from the passage because the passage does not mention any costs or negative consequences of technologies privileging certain dimensions of human nature - it only discusses the idea that technologies represent the interests of their users and shape their behaviour and values; however, no claims are made about the potential negative impacts of this process.

Hence, Option D is the correct choice.