Issue120

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120 So much is new and complex today that looking back for an understanding of the past provides little guidance for living in the present.

History is like a mysterious mirror, in which people can see the way of life and the wisdom of their ancestors. Though with the development and advancement of modern science and technology, we are confronting more and more problems that are too complex to solve, looking back for an understanding of the past is still of stupendous significance in our modern life.  

Concededly, our society changes every second, so people need to learn all kinds of knowledge newly born in order to adapt them to the rapid pace of the society. For example, with the booming of computer and internet in the recent decades, people in all walks need to make up these new techniques to catch up with the times. In addition, science is suffering a dramatically change which exposing us in more ethical and moral problems-the validity of cloning, the abuse of nuclear weapon and biological and chemistry weapon-which is never heard by the our forefathers. We can seldom find guidance from the experience of the past. However, it does not mean we should or we can ignore the importance of learning and researching for the past.   

In the first place, in the river of human history, learning about the achievement of the past can excite our own imagination and inspiration. For example, Sun Zi's Art of War is still valuable in the modern society, for the reason that it can guide not only the commander but also the businessman to be successful. In addition, learning the models in the history can teach us the principle and deep meaning of life. For example, Abraham Lincoln’s struggling experience motivates us to never bend to fate and to struggle for the our own future; Copernicus' story tells us to dare to raise doubt about other's theory and persist their own ideas; Darwin who gives up medicine and establishment the theory of evolution shows that interest is the best teacher. We are growing up with these models, influenced by their profound thinking, their braveness, their endurance, their beliefs and so on. Who can say that they do not give us guidance to better facing the bramble in front of us?

In the second place, learning history can prevent us from repeating the mistakes and failures of the past. As to a country of capitalism, principles of self-preservation, democracy, captialism and profit-seeking remain constant and appropriate in the contemporary. If an individual, a company or a country expects a persistent development, they must obey the rules. The three exploding of economic crisis informs us that the market economy of capitalism still need the regulation and control from the government, while the developing history in the early period of China tells us that planned economy of socialism need the market economy of capitalism as the reference.

Another example is about the field of science, the achievement of scientists are often established on the basis of scientific accomplishment-medicine, physics, mathematics, biology, chemistry-of the past. The great scientist of physics has said, "I can see farther because I stand on the shoulder of the giant." which also disclose the inherent character of science. Without the Kepler's three principles of planet, Newton can not put forward "Theory of Gravity", and the three classic mechanics; without Newton's work Einstein can not bring forward "Theory of Relativity" which is thought to be a foundation of physics; without the discoveries of Leeuwenhoek, we will not have microscope today.

Finally, studying human history can also let our human being feel a sense to be identified, because our traditional culture, our values, our thoughts, and our moral and ethical standards may not change too much. The feeling to be a member of this big family of human being can give us more inspiration and passion to face the fears, the defeat, and the frustration in the future.

In sum, though we are facing more and more new and complex problems now, learning from the past to is still meaningful and effective for us to solving problems and facing the bramble everyday.








TOPIC: ARGUMENT137 - The following appeared in an editorial in the Mason City newspaper.

"At present, Mason City residents seldom use the nearby Mason River for any kind of recreational activity, even though surveys of the region's residents consistently rank water sports (swimming, fishing, and boating) as a favorite form of recreation. Since there have been complaints about the quality of the water in the river, residents must be avoiding the river because they think that it is not clean enough. But that situation is about to change: the agency responsible for rivers in our region has announced plans to clean up Mason River. Therefore, recreational use of the river is likely to increase, so the Mason City council will need to increase its budget for improvements to the publicly owned lands along the Mason River."
WORDS: 461
TIME: 00:30:00
DATE: 2009-2-10 22:11:55

In this editorial, the author concludes that the Mason City council will need to increase its budget for improvements to the publicly owned lands along the Mason River because recreational use of the river is likely to increase.
To support the conclusion, the author points out that the residents consistently rank water sports as a favorite form of recreation but they seldom use the nearby Mason River. In addition, the author also claims there have been complaints about the quality of the water in the river but now the agency responsible for rivers announced plans to clean up Mason River.

First of all, the author claims that there have been complaints about the quality of the water, so the residents must be avoiding the river because they think that it is not clean enough and Mason City residents seldom use the nearby Mason River. However, the author does no provide any evidence to justify it. Perhaps the number of people who complaints is too few to justify the water is not clean. Or perhaps, they are telling lies for some interests. So people do not want to there just because it is very cold in the city, so the residents there would not like to go out to take part in any activities, or the Mason River is not in the center of the city, instead it is very far from the location where the number of residents is dense.
Without out ruling out these possibilities, the author cannot convincing me that the river is not polluted.

Even if the river is not clean enough and the agency will clean up the river and the river get clean at last, the author fails to justify that people will go there. It is entirely possible that people are used to another river which is more comfortable and cleaner. It is also possible that Mason River is far away from people's home, so it is not convenient for them to go there. If this is the case, the author can not convince me that the recreational use of the river is likely to increase.

Even if the recreational use of the river is likely to increase, the argument also lies on another assumption that the council will need to increase its budget for improvements to the publicly owned lands along the Mason River. Since people’s favor is the water sports which may have nothing to do with the recreational.

In sum, the conclusion lacks credibility since the evidence cited in the analysis do not lend strong support to what the author claims. To make the argument more convincing, the author should provide more information concerning the condition of the water, the efficiency of the council or the importance of the publicly owned lands.