[phoenix] issue221 第14次作业 by 3号 有拍必回！！

ningbo1990UID: 2641538

TOPIC: ISSUE221 - "The chief benefit of the study of history is to break down the illusion that people in one period of time are significantly different from people who lived at any other time in history."
WORDS: 471
TIME: 00:45:00
DATE: 2010/2/28 9:59:52

Some people assert history is no use today because life in today has become more new and complex. So, people`s lives are significantly different in different periods. From my perspective, although some areas change significantly in one period from another, some areas are the same.

Admittedly, some areas changed significantly. Taking technology as an example, in the ancient time, when people just learnt how to use fire, communication was difficult, people cannot go further at that time; while when it reached the Medieval period, people used horse as communication tool, thus the distance between people become shorter; after the industry revolution erupted, horses were basically exchanged by cars. Through cars, traveling other countries becomes possible to everyone and communication becomes more convenient. Nowadays, the internet technology comes out makes people can touch each other in every where people want. In the technology area, changes are significant. We are living a world that ancient people were never experienced.

However, in other areas, situations seem oppose to change. By learning history, the culture, the way people thinking and act, do not change anymore. For instance, French people used to having parties in deep night, their enjoy foods and drinks are croissant, vin, cafe and so on. Today, these culture still exist, the way of French lives do not changed a light. Another example is Chinese culture, thousand years of Chinese history, the core ideas are never changed, thousand years ago, people respect and obey Confucianism. Today Chinese people still do as Confucius said and act as same as people from thousand years ago.

So, the issue asserts that the chief benefit of the study of history is to break down the illusion that people change significant from every period is depend on the situation. The truth of changes, however, may that core culture of a human society is stable and act the same in every period while the technology changes significantly. The phenomenon explains the fact that why people in society today need to enjoy the advanced technology on the one side and learn ancient ideas and cultures on the other side.

When consider these areas further, the culture can direct the development of technology, some technologies are be prohibited though they are advancing because these technologies opposed to religious, culture, moral, or laws believes. Paragons, such as the Islam countries abandon to use new technologies that make killing animals faster, and people resist the development of human clone technology. From these aspects, the technology develops although change a lot of lives still under controlled by culture.

In conclusion, by discuss so far, in today`s life, some areas changed significantly while some areas do not. The chief benefit of the study of history is to break down the illusion that in technology areas, people change significantly and in culture aspects, it is stable.