Read the passage below:
In his early essays on evolutionary morphology, theoretical biologist D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson declined to entertain the prevailing doctrine that every anatomical variation must confer a direct adaptational advantage. While acknowledging that natural selection exerted undeniable pressure on organismal forms, Thompson argued that many physical structures were primarily the inevitable physical consequences of mathematical and mechanical constraints rather than bespoke evolutionary refinements. By emphasizing how physical forces like surface tension and hydrostatic pressure dictated cellular arrangement, he sought to demonstrate that structural patterns often arose independent of selective utility. Consequently, Thompson urged his contemporaries to distinguish between traits shaped by environmental pressures and those dictated by fundamental physical laws, asserting that overattributing utility to every morphological nuance obscured the broader geometric principles governing biological form.
As used in the passage, which single word or short phrase best expresses the meaning of the word entertain?
Answer: consider / contemplate / give credence to / harbor / weigh