Issue153 【六人作文小组】第1周第5次作业

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TOPIC: ISSUE153 - "Students should bring a certain skepticism to whatever they study. They should question what they are taught instead of accepting it passively."
WORDS: 447          TIME: 2:53:50          DATE: 2009-1-13

提纲：
1.往小了讲，怀疑加深学习
2.往大了讲，怀疑促进创新
3.也不能一味否定

The attitude of skepticism is very important in the process of studying. It not only makes students to think more insightfully and independently, which improve the quality of study, but also plays a crucial role in facilitating innovation in the progress of human society. From that point of view, schools should encourage students to bring a certain skepticism to whatever they study instead of accepting everything they are taught passively.

Students learn better with a certain skepticism in their mind while studying. Skepticism means they will not just remember the doctrines without their own thinkings and judgements, but try to explain or confirm what they are going to learn. Even though most of the knowledges in the textbooks are already confirmed thousands of times and surely to be true, to keep a "why" in mind all the time is helpful for the understanding. It is qestions that inspire the interests of study.  And a physics theory will be understood better and remembered more impressively if the students who learn it have experienced the process of suspecting, challenging and finally proving it to be true.

As to the society, skepticism is the foundation of progress. Taking a look into the evolution of human civilization, we will find it is the spirit of skepticism that push human beings to move forwards. If we had accepted the idea without any suspicion that the earth stays still and consists of the center of the universe, we wouldn't have attained so many great achievements in physical science and send humans to the moon. Also, if we had believed everything that people lived before us said, we wouldn't have made any of the institutional revolutions which constitute the base of modern society today. To encourage the spirit of skepticism in the students today, to maintain the ability of questioning an critical thinking in the young generation, is the guarantee for the continuing development of society in the future.

While of course, it is not saying that students should reject whatever they are taught. That is a wrong understanding of skepticism. To questioning everything does not mean to deny everything. What we need is a scientific attitude that always try to confirm things we aren't sure, not a negative emotion of objecting anything, or an arrogant thought of considering anyone else to be wrong.

In sum, skepticism will inspire students to think critically and independently, therefore helping make a more impressed and efficient study. What's more important, youngsters with spirit of skepticism will contribute more to the innovation of human civilization. Yet, a little attentions should be paid to avoid the abuse of skepticism to develop into objection against everything.