issue120

xusichuangUID: 2653998

120"So much is new and complex today that looking back for an understanding of the past provides little guidance for living in the present."

In his claim, the author presented us with the idea that looking back for an understanding of the past will give us almost no guidance to today’s new and complex life. I have to admit that life today is new and complex indeed just as he said, however, looking back of the past or understanding history will provide good guidance for us living in the present.
We have witnessed the novelty and complexity of our today’s life. The technologies develop so rapidly that we can not even catch up with its pace. Social customs and ethics has also changed to some extent. It seems that we are moving so fast and the past has become more and more remote from us. Therefore, some may say that the history is not instructive anymore.
However, this is not the case. Even though we use more advanced tools and enjoy a more convient life nowadays, something that deeply rooted in our mind stays unchanged. It deserves to be executed when one kills another no matter it is in the past or nowadays. As time passed, things happened in the past accumulate. The linkage between history and life today is stronger and stronger instead of weaker and weaker. Generally speaking, to look back for an understanding of the past provides us with guidance in the ways listed below.
To begin with, the past shows us instructive examples. Galileo demonstrates the fight against authority for freedom of thought. Thomas Becket and Thomas More represent integrity in the face of deadly intimidation. Hitler exemplifies evil. While it is not the province of today’s educators to tell students what their values should be, students can - by judging the actions of historical figures to be admirable or malevolent - advance the construction of their own moral belief systems. In this way, our future generation’s moral standard is built on the stones of those historical examples.
Secondly, understanding the history will make us better thinkers and thus help us to make more rational judgment. It is not because the past can provide us with a series of problem solving method or an answer to a certain problems, but because it is a comprehensive knowledge and information resource where we can develop a rational thinking way. Tomorrow is an abstraction, and today is but a fleeting moment, all else history. For example, when people want to understand modern china, the best method is to study ancient Chinese history. History is an inexhaustible wisdom resource for one to understand the way of life today or even a country’s development.
Finally, the past not only tells us what to do, but also what not to do. Studying the history of people’s revolution may prevent despotism and usurpation, understanding the bloody history of war will arose sympathy and avoiding the same thing to happen in the world today.
However, in understanding history, we should avoid dogmatism. Life nowadays is, after all, different with that of the past, and because of the difference, if we just copy of the past without any consideration, the result would be not good as expected.
To sum up, studying the past is instructive to the life today, but we should no do just as the history said. We do not learn discrete incidents of the past, but develop a thinking way whose foundations are laid on the past.

NEU公孙轩辕UID: 2697609

120"So much is new and complex today that looking back for an understanding of the past provides little guidance for living in the present."

In his claim, the author presented/presents us with the idea that looking back for an understanding of the past will give us almost no guidance(little 和almost no 不知是否一样，不过还是建议不要改动） to today’s new and complex life. I have to admit that life today is new and complex indeed just as he/the author said,;(请注意这里是；号） however, looking back of the past or understanding history will provide good guidance for us living in the present.

We have witnessed the novelty and complexity of our today’s life. The technologies develop so rapidly that we can not even catch up with its pace. Social customs and ethics has also changed to some extent.（这句是干什么的？习俗改变和问题复杂有什么关系？） It seems that we are moving so fast and the past has become more and more remote from us. Therefore, some may say that the history is not instructive anymore.
However, this is not the case. Even though we use more advanced tools and enjoy a more convient life nowadays, something that deeply rooted in our mind stays unchanged. It deserves to be executed when one kills another no matter it is in the past or nowadays.（例子举得太不地道了，无语....) As time passed, things happened in the past accumulate. The linkage between history and life today is stronger and stronger instead of weaker and weaker./The linkage between history and life today has been increasingly strong rather than weak. Generally speaking, to look back for an understanding of the past provides us with guidance in the ways listed below.

To begin with, the past shows us instructive examples. Galileo demonstrates the fight against authority for freedom of thought. Thomas Becket and Thomas More represent integrity in the face of deadly intimidation. Hitler exemplifies evil. While it is not the province(?什么意思） of today’s educators to tell students what their values should be. Students can - by judging the actions of historical figures to be admirable or malevolent - advance the construction of their own moral belief systems./Students can esatblish their own moral and
belief systen through evaluating the historical figures on themselves. In this way, our future generation’s moral standard is built on the stones of those historical examples.Secondly, understanding the history will make us better thinkers/think more deeply and thus help us to make more rational judgments. It is not because the past can provide us with a series of problems solving method/methods to solve problems or an answer to a certain problems(这和前面意思有重叠，建议删去）, but because it is a comprehensive knowledge and information resource from where we can develop a rational thinking way. Tomorrow is an abstraction, and today is but a fleeting moment, all else history(这个的意思是?...). For example, when people want to understand modern china, the best method is to study ancient Chinese history/the best method to study ancient Chinese history is to understand modern China.(逻辑漏洞，理解现代中国就能了解古代历史？） History is an inexhaustible wisdom resource for one to understand the way of life today or even a country’s development.

Finally, the past not only tells us what to do, but also what not to do. Studying the history of people’s revolution may prevent despotism and usurpation,（了解人民革命就能防止独裁和篡位？他们直接的逻辑通路是什么？） understanding the bloody history of war will arose sympathy and avoiding the same thing to happen in the world today. However, in understanding history,(删） we should avoid dogmatism in order to understand history fully and objectively. Life nowadays is, after all, different with that of the past. and because of the difference, if we just copy of the past without any consideration, the result would be not good as expected./Considering the gap between today and the past, we cannot merely exploit the experience gained in the past without an all-sided considertation, which probably contributes to bad results.

To sum up, studying the past is instructive to the life today, but we should no do just as the history said/taught us. We do not learn discrete incidents of the past, but develop a thinking way whose foundations are laid on the past.

missingusaUID: 2625832

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