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------题目------
The greatness of individuals can be decided only by those who live after them, not by their contemporaries.
------正文------
Whether individuals' greatness can be recognized by the contemporaries or can only be praised in retrospect, there is no exclusive answer to this question. Answers are different in what the judgment is based on, on objective proofs or subjective feelings. In some areas, like art, judgment on them is mainly subjective feelings; thus judgments on these areas mainly depend on how well the people understand and accept the works. In other areas, like science, greatness depend on whether technological advances and knowledge can provide the objectively proofs. When it comes to the areas like technology, practical use become the main reason for the greatness.
In the realms of art, architecture, literature, etc., greatness is decided by people who accept them and appreciate them. Acceptance and appreciation depend on subjective value and feelings where there is no general norm. The work may be accepted by the public once it is accomplished, then the greatness of it can be decided by the contemporaries. Actually most of the works belong to this kind of greatness. Shakespeare’s operas, symphonies by Beethoven, and so on, are lucky enough to be popular once they were finished. Nevertheless, there are also some masterpieces which are recognized after them. Van Gogh had sold out only one of his works in all his life. The Crystal Place in London, famous for its significance in symbolizing the beginning of industrialization of architecture, was laughed at first by the public when it was built up. These works were not accepted by their contemporaries, but they were applauded by people who live after their creators and who accept new ideas in these realms.
When it comes to scientific field, the greatness are often judged by people who live after them. Because most of the hypothesizes are hard to be proved with the contemporary limited knowledge and the restriction of technology. More than 300 years after Copernicus's death can people prove his theory that the earth and other planets revolve around the sun. Only until recently can scientists laboratorially prove Darwinism through the greatly similar genome of human and ape. With out development of knowledge and technology scientific, hypothesis can hardly be proved thus can not be identified by the contemporaries.
In some areas, like technology, people identify the greatness according to their significance to practical use. With the increasingly rapid technological advancements, it takes shorter and shorter time for new ideas and technology to turn into practical use. In the 19th century, it took nearly 300 years from the invention of electricity to its practical use and nearly 30 years from the birth of the theory of electromagnetic wave to the wireless communication; In the 20th century, it took only 7 years from generating to application of the integrate circuit, and it is only more or less 1 year for the laser light. Greatness of areas as technology may nowadays tend to be decided by their contemporaries due to the development of technology.
In conclusion, the time for deciding the greatness is different in different areas. Fields, whose judgment are based on subjective feelings mainly depend on the acceptance and fashion of the period. While in the fields of science, it may take much longer time for people to prove it thus the judgment are mostly made by the people after them. Greatness of fields of technology as regards, with the increasingly rapid development of technology, tends to be decided by the contemp
[ Last edited by staralways on 2005-7-24 at 23:07 ] |
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