scholars have tried to make a case for acquisitiveness, competitiveness, and selfishness as
innate human trait.
请问 make a case 是什么意思。

make a case for something:
1,to explain why something should be done
2,to explain that something is true

这里适用第二种解释，解释某件事情是对的，真实存在的。
scholars have tried to make a case for acquisitiveness, competitiveness, and selfishness as innate human trait.
意译为：学者们已经尝试着证明人性生而具有求知欲、竞争欲及自私自利。