issue41 0806GSTIVE 第六次作业

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Do those non-mainstream areas of inquiry as astrology, fortune-telling and physic and paranormal pursuits play an important role in society? My response tends to be it does not. Although those unscientific knowledge might alleviate people’s fear to death, well developed science and many tragedies brought by over-trusting those non-mainstream areas such as fortune-telling both indicate that science play the most important role in current society.

Admittedly that the information in non-mainstream field can help people alleviate their fear to death because any people have the natural fear to death; while they have to accept the fact that the natural life of human is limit and all people have to go to the grave. Thus non-mainstream areas as the author list, astrology, fortune-telling and physic and paranormal pursuits, describe many things are the works of the force of deity or destiny, and indicate another world which is about “the future life”. For instance, trusting for “a future life” may enable people who have serious irremediable diseases feel better and live more peacefully. In short, information in non-mainstream areas to some extent satisfies the need of some people, especially peace their fear to death.
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However, over-trusting on unscientific information results in some tragedies in people’ daily lives.  Many people who trust non-mainstream areas, especially the fortune-telling are likely to do anything in their live following on the detective of their own deity or destiny. For example, it was reported that a woman in remote areas of China was not willing to hospital; instead she went to the fortune-teller and asked for help when she had a fever. The fortune-teller told her that this disease was the test of the deity and if she could pass the test, she would become the messenger of deity. So the woman went back home and refused to see the doctor. In the end, she died because of the disease was detained. If this woman trust doctors instead of fortune-teller, she would be likely to recover quickly.

Further, people in current society which is rapidly developing and changing, are more likely to trust science than before because the science has been well developed. Most natural phenomenon can be given a reasonable explanation by scientific knowledge. Take some simple phenomenon as example, the wind form because of the fluxion of air; the circulation of water in the ecosphere on earth forms the rain and snow; the rotation of earth forms exchange of night and daytime. Besides, the development of science brings advanced technologies which are benefit for people’s lives, such as the immediate communication through computer, the traveling convenience by airplane, or even the longer of average of life of people. As a result, more and more people become trust and admire science. Even though there are some unknown things that cannot be explained by current scientific knowledge, most people still have the confidence that the problems can be solved in future by science.

To sum up, even though information in non-mainstream fields to some extent alleviates the fear of people to death, whereas over-trusting in unscientific knowledge brings lots of tragedies to people’ lives. At the same time, the well development of technology reflects that it is the science that plays the most important role in current society, not the non-mainstream.