In the sixteenth century, the push for greater precision in measuring time was not , like more recently, motivated by complicated philosophical questions about the nature of matter and the universe, but the practical matters of navigation: sailors simply needed more highly accurate timepieces in order to computer their longitude form the positions of the stars.

A. not, like more recently, motivated by complicated philosophical questions about the nature of matter and the universe, but the practical matters of navigation

B. being motivated by the practical matters of navigation, instead of complicated philosophical questions about the nature of matter and the universe, as it has been recently

C. motivated not by complicated philosophical questions about the nature of matter and the universe, like they were more recently, but by the practical matters of navigation

D. motivated by the practical matters of navigation,  not complicated philosophical questions about the nature of matter and the universe, which was the case more recently

E. motivated not by complicated philosophical questions about the nature of matter and the universe, as has been the case more recently, but by the practical matters of navigation

as后面可以没有主语嘛？as has been读起来很别扭的。我选的是c。like后面只能跟短语或者名词吗？

like后面只能跟名词或者名词性短语，表示比较。
as指代前面一句话，还原即
The push for greater precision in measuring time was motivated by complicated philosophical questions about the nature of matter and universe has been the case more recently.

as可以引导非限制性定语从句,修饰整个句子
As is known to us all,  to know 100% percent the usage of "AS" is no easy thing.

like不能作为连词连接句子

Like表示比较吗？它不是只有介词词性，不能连接句子吗？请指教。

as指代前面整件事情呢  而且as强调的是动作，like强调物体的性质