issue 48

那西UID: 2342905

The study of history places too much emphasis on individuals. The most significant events and trends in history were made possible not by the famous few, but by groups of people whose identities have long been forgotten.

The speaker claims that the study of history should not place too much emphasis on individuals while the nameless masses do not receive their deserving attention. I concede that numerous social movements would not happen without the participation of the mass, but the significant trends in science and art always have nothing to do with the public.

Edison led us to the age of electricity almost single-handedly, so were the situations of many scientific breakthroughs. The mankind as a whole benefit from the scientific innovations made by the few,therefore,the study of those significant scientists can bring us a panoramic view of the history of science. As for art, an art work stems from man's life, though decorated with the artist's identity and ideas, it still present certain aspects if the age. We can learn the lives of French peasants in the nineteen century by the study of Millet's <The Gleaners>, and we can understand the essence of Renaissance by studying the works of "the big three in Renaissance". Not only did the art works reflect the age, the artist, his words, thoughts and beliefs are also a mirror of his times. Thus, simply studying the eximious individuals can bring us a quite veracious and all-around cognition of history.

Revolution that pushed the social processes would not break out without the awakeness and it would not succeed without the participation of the mass. Washington could not bring independence to the United States all by himself. And there would not be victory in the struggle against fascism without the sacrifice of millions of people all over the world. When we enjoy the fruitition of human civilization, we should not forget to be thankful for these people. However, are these nameless people significant to the study of history.If we spend time and energy to study a group of soldiers in the War of Independence, we may know their families, their growths, their struggles and their friendship, but these results, which may construct a good story for a writer or a film director, are of minimal value to the study of history. Moreover, since the information for them may be difficult to collect, the study might be more difficult than the study of Washington.Thus, although we respect those unsung heroes, it does not mean historians have the obligation to study them, taking into account the gains may not be very valuable and there are still numerous historical mysteries waiting to be revealed.

So the emphasis on the famous few is quite reasonable and effective in the study of history.And, people who are inspired by the great persons may strive to make progress in their lives in order to become the new members in the hall of fame,which is good for our society.

In sum, we should place emphasis on the unsung persons in history who contributed to the peace and prosperity of society besides the famous few, but to make great discoveries out of limited resources, the study of history should put emphasis on individuals.

nolitusUID: 2894100

个人拙见:1.爱迪生让人类进入了光的时代，而非电
             2.虽然lz自己的观点中是谈科学和艺术与个人才有关，但感觉这篇文章最重要的还是谈历史