【Flyer杀G】小组-6.26作业 I 48, by Sean

柏拉图的世界UID: 2581296

TOPIC: ISSUE48 - "The study of historyplaces too much emphasis on individuals. The most significant events and trendsin history were made possible not by the famous few, but by groups of peoplewhose identities have long been forgotten."
WORDS: 410
TIME: 00:45:00
DATE: 2010-6-27 9:36:26

History is by definition the chronological changing process of society. Since it involves masses of people, study on itought to put more emphasis on group of people. Although some individuals likeheroes and heroines are much distinguished than ordinary people, and thus easyto catch researchers' attention, it is prerequisite to bear in mind that, mostsignificant social events and trends can only be realized by groups of people.

Admittedly, some figures did influence howthe world and history is shaped. Casting a look back, such examples are notdifficult to find at all. Newton's individual talents and delving in discoveringcryptic disciplines behind seemingly most simple things in the world, such aswhy do apples always fall onto grounds, have largely strengthen our ability tochange the world. Thanks to Newton, we can better understand how theunbiquitous forces work, and consequently we revealed the knack to escape graspof the earth. What figures like Newton did is to accelerate the progress ofhuman society to some extent, while others may redirect our way or simply dragus back from prosperity and civilization. For instance, religious founders likeMohammed or Laozi impact on how their people think and behavior, whilepoliticians who are war zealot like Hitler trample lives of human beings andoutgrowth of civilization. Since stories of such figures, good or evil, arefascinating and representative, they are written and passed down, in the formof folks, historical literatures and so on.

Howbeit, in these historical materials, acritical defect is the miss of masses' power. Such condition is even moresevere in ancient ones, because compared with historical researcher in moderntimes, progenitors often lacked a systematic concept to examine history. Andwith experience and retrospect in historical study amassing, as well as intercommunionfrom other disciplines like sociology and statistical analysis, historians vestinterests on ordinary people in a great number much better.

The first reason for the importance ofgroups of people in the shadow of glitzy ones is the fact hardly can anyonegain a great and far-reaching defeat merely without any one's support.Reviewing those wars that largely change tens of thousands of thousands ofcitizens life, is any of them just between the two of several leaders? In spiteof these leaders' outstanding wisdom, they still need crowds of people to fightin the risk of death. A handful of heroes/heroines who win the war enjoys thetrophies and eulogium from citizens and historians, while myriad bodies aredecaying in desserts. Such a scene vividly denounces biasing in historicaldocumentation and study.

The second reason is that unless the masspower gives a hand, innovation or incisive thoughts from giants won’t livelong. Taking Newton’s discovery again, if Newton’s theories had failed to catchpublic attention and were not advocated, there won’t have been any of hisfigure in the history of human’s civilization or the history of physics. It wastrue Watt himself invented powerful steam engine, but if engines were notmanufactured and implemented by large number of people, probably industrialrevolution won’t stemmed from his success. Thus, if particular creations weresupposed to be far-reaching, they have to gain masses acceptance firstly,otherwise their influence would be badly confined.

Finally, no individual can survive anddevelop in absence of masses impacts. Every giant are expected to be breed upin society, they definitely would learn ideas and skills from others, whichaccumulate and ferment, finally to act on his/her behavior. Also, even whenthey are already mature enough, they still receive a lot of factors from myriadother people, or rather the society, to make their personal judgment anddecision.

To conclude, a number of famous individualshave played big role in the progress of history, but this should not be thereason for freezing out more profound and giant impacts from masses. Because,in a more systematic and deep-going analysis, we have found out why hardly canany individual fulfill far-reaching achievements without masses, and why the famousfew have to be effected a lot by masses.