Issue47 weixch的，球拍

weixchUID: 2104033

47"Society does not place enough emphasis on the intellect—that is, on reasoning and other cognitive skills


What kind of education do we need in the modern world? Reasoning, cognitive skills or other aspects related to mental health? While the speaker places emphasis on intellectual skills, on balance I would assert that some other aspects such as our faith on democracy and liberty are still playing a more paramount role in the 21st century. Besides, the speaker might also overlook the benefits of the moral and the mental health which make us more endurable to tension or anxiety.

Admittedly, I should concede that the ability to reason and the cognitive skills is a requirement in the modern world. In personal level, they help us to achieve a successful career. It is with the technology we learn in intellectual education that we can overcome the difficulties in concrete work at leisure. Besides, the cognitive skills we practice in the classroom also make it possible for us to understand the new knowledge and advanced technology coming forth in the future career. As we know, it is an era of info blast nowadays; without the reasoning skills, it is really hard to learn from the latest achievement in technology or theory by self-study. In societal level, what makes the idea of technological progress looming so large in our century is neither moral nor humanity, but our endeavor in intellectual education. It was through the education on critical thinking and reasoning that our society gave birth to Newton who developed calculus and physics. And it is based on these kinds of discovery that the modern industry comes to reality.

In some other respects, however, accenting the intellectual aspect and overlooking our faith on liberty or democracy in education would lead our community to a risky circumstance. Without the faith on democracy or the value system we remained by education, the power of the country would be seized by some mighty. Thus it might make the sound of citizens faint in the government which serves completely for the interests of emperor or aristocrats. In some other cases, lack of faith on liberty or democracy would make a nation lost in a temporary societal crisis and susceptible to demagoguery. An apt case in point was the years before the World War I in Germany where the faith on democracy was giving way to intellectual education. Although the success in intellectual education led Germany to the top of the 2nd industrial revolution in the West, the advanced technology also gave birth to new weapons utilized by flourishing militarism. At last, the fanaticism to German emperor led to the tragedy of the World War I. Later, the faith on democracy was again questioned in the economic crisis of 1933, and ruined by a demagogue named Hitler who waged the World War II with his autocracy and slaughter the Jews.

Besides the faith we ought to keep by education, we should not overlook the role of mental health and moral convinced by our society. In the modern world, almost every field is full of competition which gives rise to strain and mental illness in office. Without mental health accented in early education, the strain may result in extreme behavior which could harm us or the society. Consider, for example, the high rate of suicide and the problem of drink in the youth. Some of our schools put too much emphasis on intellectual education overlooking the importance of mental health. Thus, without goal of life and mental preparation to face the crisis, a great many young guys choose the way of suicide, drink or drug to escape the anxiety. Moreover, the moral transmitted by education is also vital to our community. Consider, for instance, the high crime rate in the modern world. Some may assert the decreasing trend of traditional economic grift. However, without adequate education in moral, the guys were using the technology they learned in intellectual education to commit computer crime. The point could be supported by the increasing economic loss owed to computer fraud in these years.

In conclusion, I have to concede that reasoning and cognitive skills are requirements in our society. Whereas, I should remind audiences the role of the faith we convince in the modern world, and other mental aspects of our education which could help to overcome extreme individual behavior and prevent young men from committing crimes.