ISSUE103 - "The study of history has value only to the extent that it is relevant to our daily lives."
I fundamentally agree with the speaker's assertion that the study of history has value when it is relevant to our daily lives. However, the speaker necessarily confines the value of history in this narrow field where practicality is dominated while ignores some other potential benefit history may bring to us. My point of contention with the speaker involves the relationship between two separated objectives and adverse consequences of some particular study close to our daily lives, as discussed below.
Admittedly, study of history which regards our daily life as their main cynosures in research, by any measure, serves primarily catalysts for social progress as well as providing useful reference for future researchers. History tells us any attempt to legislate morality inextricably fails such as the Prohibition in the 1930s. Therefore, nowadays, legislators seldom waste energy on regulating people's morality in stead focusing on preventing or punishing illegal behaviors. So we enjoy an environment full of individuality, free religious beliefs and free publishing. Another striking example comes from history of science. Nearly every human being wants to create a machine using no energy while can work forever, however any practical attempt to this is of no result which was later proven unpractical. Consequently, today's scientists no longer devote their finite hours to fulfilling such an almighty machine only existed in scientific fictions, in stead they do their utmost to improve the efficiency of machines will can produce more while using less fuel or coral. Considering the examples mentioned above, the speaker's assertion is convincing and sound.
Let us turn our attention to some studies seemingly far from our daily life to examine the correctness the speaker's assertion. According to The Bible, we human beings have common ancestors--- Adam and Eve. And countless anthropologists, genetic engineers even experts on religious are keen on this issue by checking historical remaining, looking through materials and even turning to the help of the most advanced genetic analysis. However, query their meaningfulness to our society will be controversial. If every person in the world is convinced that he or she has common parents, then there would be no hatred, no violence or no wars? Ostensibly, these undesirable things remain still. But as a scientific research, it must be carried on, after all, it is an exploration to demystify our origin which this point of view it is reasonable and of sense.
Furthermore the speaker's assertion is troubling in two other aspects as well. Firstly, the usefulness of one study of history is determined not by historians , but by the equators who try to optimize it in order to prove or disprove something. The concept of 'Master Race' stems from a usual survey on history of Indian people, while Hitler quoted it to justify his motivation of the war. On the other hand, as practicality is our idol in modern society, every study of history requires quite amount of resources in terms of money and time. So our authority should avoid allocating finite public resources on something far from our daily life which can solve pressing social problems such as poverty, AIDS epidemic and welfare program in a more meaningful way.
To sum up, the speaker's assertion is fundamentally correct with respect to solve our enduring problems for practicality and pragmatism. However, we could not demean the importance of some far-related researches which may demystify our puzzles, incite originality and stimulate theoretical progress. Considering the improper use of research results by some demagogueries and our finite public resources, I insist that our authority should be careful with various studies as well as strike a balance between study of history which is relevant to our life and other kinds study,