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issue177 " The study of an academic discipline alters the way we perceive the world. After studying the discipline, we see the world as before, but with different eyes." 提纲：同意 1，提供了新的认识工具--天文的发展；X射线的应用 2，提供了新的认识角度 3，培养了理性的思维方法--对疾病的认识；培根的名言 4，并非先带来世界的变化从而导致认识方式的变化 Everyday is a new day if we learn something new. There is nothing more reasonable on the assertion that how we achieve understanding of the whole world is amazingly distinctive after our academic study.
To begin with, new technology that people would never imagine centuries ago improves sharply on the basis of the development of academic researches. People, as a result, would probably change their method of perceiving the world in that such improved techniques might help them expand their senses progressively by means of providing novel tools. That does not mean our eyes or ears becomes different but instead we can see what we can not before just as a distant nebula or cells constructing our body and we can hear what we can not before such as the voice of breath or the beats of heart. If we can observe the world more directly, more precisely and make acquaintance of what we would never be aware of before, there is every reason to assume that the mode in which we apprehend the world might alter. For instance, The vital event in the process of that astrology gives way to astronomy is the invention of telescope so that people who observe stars belie former illusions and fallacies about stars. The same is the use of X-ray. It is impossible for our remote ancestors to check human body and diagnose human diseases in this way. Denying the indispensable role the academic study plays in perceiving our world, we are most likely to fail to explain how all this innovation functions cogently. Further more, we would apprehend the world in a distinctive method even if no invention is introduced. The study of an academic disciplines provides new angles to explore the truth in the world. Interestingly, we will find a completely new world if we examine our nature and society in light of a certain discipline because of the change of our focus. A student fascinated by logic and mathematics tends to examine the surroundings in a rational manner while one other who is keen on music and poem would probably portray the nature emotionally and somewhat sensitively. Even when people see the same violet, The manners they make understanding of it varies. A painter tended to depict it as a charming creature, perceiving its beauty. A perfume manufacturer may be pro to value it as a productive material, holding its potential fortune. A scientist might analyze its metabolism impartially, ruling out its superficial facts. A working farmer would probably trample it carelessly, ignoring the value of it. All of these afford persuasive evidence to conclude that people with distinctive academic background will see the world with various eyes.
Another crucial point is that such academic studies helps us cultivate our ability of reasoning so that we could establish a rational and effective manner to make understanding of the world. In Middle ages, people consider the Black Death as a punishment of God, having no method to address it. Nowadays, we comprehend that such epidemic disease is due to microorganism through the study of microbiology. That is one of the reasons why we can overcome them successfully through the study of medicine and pharmacy. Through science, we gradually learns how distinguish fallacies from truth in extremely intricate phenomenons and facts. We also learns how to deduce warranted conclusion from chaos of statistics and numbers through reasoning. All this make us grasp the essence of the world effectively. That's why Francis Bacon said(And I paraphrase) "Reading make a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics subtitle; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend." Some people, in additon, would probably ascribe the change of the way we perceive the world directly to the change of the world coming from intellectual research rather than the study itself. However, given that a person's action is determined, at least deeply influnced, by his or her mind, these changes is more likely to stem from the study. If you teaches an ancient people surgery, supplying best teacheres, latest instruments and plenty of practice opportunities does that ensure this study will be satisfying? This ancient people is more likely to refuse to study at the first class, shocked by the idea of opening human bodies and dealing with organs inside. Another example is the glorious geographic discoveries in 16th century. If the study of science did not convince captains that the earth is round, America and Australia would never be found. Therefore, the study of academic discipline tended to alter the way people take acquaintance of the world, the world later.
Conclusively, I insist that our apprehending the whole world in a different manner will be altered by the academic study.
[ 本帖最后由 winterlotus 于 2007-2-10 03:36 编辑 ] | 
发表于 2007-2-10 03:27:27
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