prepositions - "something inescapably points if ...." or "if something inescapably points to ..."?



At the same time, they are reluctant to accept the conclusions toward which such proof inescapably points if they do not "sense" the uniformity themselves.



The position of the word if in this sentence seems odd to me. I was more expecting inescapably points to/out ... rather than inescapably points if ... here, so I tried to reword the sentence to make it more understandable:



At the same time, they are reluctant to accept the conclusions toward which if such proof inescapably points to the fact that they do not "sense" the uniformity themselves.



But I'm not so sure about it.



Answer



Here "they are reluctant to accept the conclusions." Which conclusions? The conclusions "toward which such proof inescapably points" or, rewording, the conclusions "which such proof inescapably points" toward.


Notice that in the original sentence, the toward has been moved before the which. If you stick an extra to at the end as you have done in your attempted paraphrase, it's like saying the conclusions which such proof inescapably points toward to.


The structure is analogous to it's the job to which I'm dedicated vs it's the job which I'm dedicated to.


The if part simply says that they are reluctant to accept the conclusions if they don't sense (something).


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