大家拍砖 吧。。。Issue - 103

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The study of history has value only to the extent that it is relevant to our daily lives.




The speaker alleges that the study of history can only be valuable when it is relevant to our daily lives. Though it is true that studying history could be helpful and valuable to our daily lives, its study must not be pinned down to the narrowest utilitarianism.



To begin with, learning of human history helps us recognize and transcend identity. We learn from history where we come from, why we are different or similar, and what form us today. Giving an example through the perspective of studying religious history, we learn that Buddha enlightened himself from a normal man and thus the philosophy of Buddhism is every mankind could become Buddha eventually, if he or she is enlightened. Whilst Jesus was born to be Jesus, therefore, Christian holds the belief that there is only one God in the world and that God created human beings to live eternally in fellowship with him. We understand better why the believers of religions identify themselves as they are today and how they identify themselves. More than that, all the historical paths of religion share with us that it does not matter how the world changes, there is a common belief among all the religions that the ultimate goal is to become a kind person. Not from these better understanding of our own religious identity and other kinds of identity, will the conflicts be eliminated and the world be harmonized. All these have little to do with our daily lives but it is distinctly valuable to individual and the society.



Secondly, study of history enables us to avoid past mistakes. By looking at the history of physical-chemistry science, no one would attempt to practice alchemy and other kind of pseudoscience nowadays. A well-know saying from Isaac Newton unveiled the fact that how important it is to learn from the past experiences in science: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”.  The study of environmental history shares with us that the developing countries should not repeat the wrong development path of the developed countries, which is to develop the economy with the cost of pollution first and clean it up later. The earth system will collapse before we make the efforts to clean it. The history of the culture revolution in China and Cambodia in the last century, which resulted in social, political, and economic upheaval, widespread persecution, the destruction of antiques, historical sites, and culture and elimination of millions of population, has warned us how calamitous a violent mass movement could be. Hopefully, we will never repeat such kind of mistake again in the human-being history. Although one may never become scientists or political leaders, and scientific innovation and making mass decision will never come to one’s daily lives, knowledge of history among the general public, is the most effective way, and in some cases, the only way to avoid repeating mistakes.  



Thirdly, study of history inspires us with predecessor’s achievements. By studying the contemporary political history of Southeast and South Asia, we would be inspired by Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been leading the Democracy Movement under the condition of house-arresting in Myanmar from late 1980’s and Mahatma Gandhi, who led India thrived for independency through noncooperation and nonviolence protest in the 1940’s. Aung Saan Suu Kyi and Mahatma Gandhi have inspired millions of people all over the world fighting for democracy, independency and human-rights. And in fact, Aung San Suu Kyi herself, according to the literature, was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. We may not achieve what the predecessors have achieved, but studying of history inspires us, enlightens our lives, lifting us from the day-to-day life to spiritual world.



Last but not the least, study of history could be for fulfilling curiosity and the thirst of knowledge only. One may argue that the purposeless study cannot really create values. However, it is exactly the inborn curiosity and thirst of knowledge that drives the development of human being and makes us as how we are today. One may not even foresee what value its study could create, but the value remains it beauty there. The historian who studied the history of astronomy and discover the Chinese’s bare eyes observation record on macula may contribute to the climate change theory, which lacks of long-term solar observation data. Nobody knows what curiosity and thirst of knowledge would lead us to, even it is gets nothing to do with our daily life.



In sum, study of history creates values but goes beyond our daily lives. The study of history helps us recognize our and others identity, avoid us repeating past mistakes, and drives us forward. The speaker’s assertion that historical study could be valuable only when it is relevant to our daily lives is suspicious and invalid.