【Big Fish】03月01日Issue153-By Edwardlzk

edwardlzkUID: 2676637

写的时候特别困...

TOPIC: ISSUE153 - "Students should bring a certain skepticism to whatever they study. They should question what they are taught instead of accepting it passively."
WORDS: 498
TIME: 01:00:00
DATE: 2010-3-1 11:43:30

What constantly propel the rapid evolvement of our society? What is the inevitable character of an individual that may contribute to achieving success? As the speaker's notion, which I strongly agree, is the spirit of skepticism. Although undue skepticism can do harm to the effective development in certain fields and in particular cases, it is even more unacceptable for students to accept the knowledge passively without critical thinking.

On one hand, the skepticism attitude towards learning enables students to strengthen the understanding of the knowledge. The efficiency of learning depends on various factors, of which the most important is skepticism. Accepting a new knowledge passively without further thinking and digest always results in ostensive understanding. Referring to a theory our professors try to inculcate us, which may seemingly contradict the orthodoxy through our common life. By turning to the references, students can get at least a brief idea about the basis of the theory, or even indicate the fallacy their professors commit. Whether the question is proved legitimacy or a mistake, which is not a important question to concern, the skepticism can bring curiosity and interests and contribute to the better understanding.

On the other hand, tremendous achievements are always produced and developed from the original curiosity and skepticism. Leaps in all fields, calls for the ever innovated thought that can help people explore our unknown world. Commonly, these innovations scientists made comes from skepticism. The discovery of gravity by Newton initially comes from the question why apples fall downward instead of upwards or other directions. The famous Heliocentric Conjecture that demonstrates that earth and other planet revolve around the Sun made by Copernicus which contradicts the established long-standing geocentric assumption is also the result of skepticism. Bacon, one of the pioneers of modern scientific thought, advocated the idea of testing the authority in order to gain real knowledge even since the dawn of civilization. Back to the students, what their professors teach them may seem right and reasonable currently, similarly with the assumption of Geocentric at that time, however a false indeed. It is only the skepticism of students can help to find them and therefore propel the development of the theory or probably the world.

Nevertheless, skepticism does not follow 'the more the better' discipline, it is a case-by-case problems as well. Effective skepticism is based on the experience and knowledge oneself, one can not accept an idea easily, but meanwhile should not deny it before study and analysis are taken into it. Moreover, students as well as researchers should emphasize on what is worthwhile to argue, or they may get into a dead end. From where I am standing, basic experiential knowledge should be developed before students begin their critical thinking about what they learn.

In sum, skepticism is the very character that youngsters should obtain to achieve success and expedite the process of every field, under no circumstance should the students be discouraged from asking 'Why' after the basic level of learning is accomplished.