Issue186 [0710G Victors互助小组] 第8次作业

鬼马丁丁UID: 2333532

TOPIC: ISSUE186 - "Practicality is now our great idol, which all powers and talents must serve. Anything that is not obviously practical has little value in today's world."
WORDS: 641          TIME: 00:45:00          DATE: 2007-6-19 21:17:00

In today's world is practicality our great idol-one which all powers and talents must serve? While this claim has considerable merit with respect to most areas of human endeavor-including education, art, and politics- I take exception with the claim when it comes to the direction of scientific research today.

Practicality seems clearly to be the litmus test for education today. Students are required to learn computer skills right along with reading and writing. In a math class, students are taught a most efficient solution to reslove a problem, even education adapted from elementary school to university, are heading for a suitable and well paid job. It is undenible that, some art and other nonmainstream education, which ostensibly has less practical value than other course work are opened in school, however an interesting phenomenon indicated that, more selections to a master programme are MBA. As well known to us, MBA as a course is business administration fundamentally about practicality and pragmatism which is "getting the job done" and paying attention to the "bottom line".

Practicality also dicates what sort of art is produced today. The area of fashion is a good example avaible to support the standpoint. People are addictive to panoply, especially women. They cudgel their brains for dressing and making up. In old ages, people envied supermodels in fashion show who were able to dress dazzling amout of beautiful, cute skirts and canonicals. That shows opened only in surpme fashion occashion such as Pairs, New York and the like are inplapale to commonplace. The mode of  such clothes were syboml of  arts of work more than practicality which is feasible to wear in streets for majority. However, fashion designers have realize the gist of practical demands cause and effect more and more endearing clothes are born to meet the extended requirements of young women. In the main, today's artist are concerned with practicality and profit, and not with artistic value and integrity.

Practicality is also the overriding concern in contemporary politics. Most policticians seem driven today by their interest in being elected and reelected that is, in short-term survival- rather than by any sense of mission, or even obligation to their consitituency or country. Diplomatic and legal manerverings and negotiations often appera intended to meet the practical needs of the parties invovled-minimizing costs, preserving options, and so forth. Those who woould defend the speaker might claim that it is idealists-not pragmatists-who sway the masses, incite revolutions, and make political ideology reality. Consider odealists such as the America's founders, or Mahatama Gandhi, or Martin Luther King. Had these idealists concerned themselves with short-term survival and immediate needs rather than with their notions of an ideal society, the United States and INdia might still be British colonies, and African Americans might still be relegated to the backs of buses. Although I concede this point, the plain fact is that such idealists are far fewer in number today.

However, some merits of idealists to the discipline of science are different from the others which are discussed above. Science and technology is views as a resort to settle down some both subsistent problems and potential ones in our social life status quo. Admittedly, today's digital revolution serves a host of practical concerns, such as communication and accessing information more quickly and efficiently. Much of chemical research is also aimed at practicality - at providing convenience and enhancing our immediate comfort. Yet, in many other respects scientific research is not driven toward immediate practicality but rather toward broad, long-term objectives: public health, quality of life and enviromental protection.

To sum up, it is parochial to outline what area of reseach should put more concerns on practicality and thus developing it to keep pace with social advancements. I concede that more practicality may be our idol today such as policts, education and art. After all, more emphasis should be put on to balance the demands of social development