Issue41 sisong2003--Hamming小组第十二次冲刺作业

sisong2003UID: 2154005

TOPIC: ISSUE41 - "Such nonmainstream areas of inquiry as astrology, fortune-telling, and psychic and paranormal pursuits play a vital role in society by satisfying human needs that are not addressed by mainstream science."
WORDS:540          TIME: 上午 00:50:00          DATE: 2007-1-28

观点：同意可以起到某些作用，但反对起重大作用
1.       算命确实可以起到某些作用e.g. 古时候不懂闪电打雷，算命
2.       但决不是重大作用 Thomas Edison
3.       并且可能会导致某些严重后果 e.g.耽误时间看病啊，不努力

Do such nonmatainstream areas of inquiry as astrology, fortune-telling, and psychic and paranormal pursuits play a vital role in society by satisfying human needs, as the speaker alleges? In my view, I tend to agree that such nonmainstream areas of inquiry satisfy human needs to some extent. However, the speaker unnecessarily exaggerates the influence of such nonmainstream areas of inquiry to play a vital role.

To start off, the existence of such nonmainstream areas of inquiry as astrology, fortune-telling, and psychic and paranormal pursuits implies that they can satisfy human needs that are not addressed by mainstream science. Consider, in ancient China, people did not understand some natural phenomena such as lightning or thundering. Whenever it thundered or lightning, ancient people became anxious and scared. And the witch might tell these people that it's the God punishing some evil people and calm them down. A further example of nonmainstream areas of inquiry satisfying human needs involves the fortune-telling. One man failed in the college entrance examination several times and he almost had no courage to confront this disaster. Then he visited the fortune-teller, who told him to persist and he would pass the exam. With respect to this, the fortune teller gave courage to this man and inspired him by the hopeful words. Thus, to some extent, nonmainstream areas of inquiry have a beneficial effect on society.

Nevertheless, nonmainstream areas of inquiry do not play a vital role in society. Whether an idea or a thought plays a vital role in society depends on if it is accepted by the majority of the society, or if it becomes the main value in people’s life. Yet, in the era of high developed modern science and technology, most educated people often use a rational and scientific perspective towards issues they confront but not superstitious to ask astrology or fortune tellers. Consider Thomas Edison failed hundreds of times before his invention of bulb. And the most valuable thing during the whole course is his persistence and confidence deriving from his scientific perspective towards the feasibility of making a bulb, but not inquiring a fortune teller if he could succeed or not. So it is obvious that such nonmainstream areas of inquiry do not play a vital role in society.

Additionally, nonmainstream areas of inquiry may lead to some terrible consequences by emphasize human fate is fixed. For example, people who are too dependent on the fortune teller's words will achieve nothing. Because they think whatever efforts they made, it is impossible to change their life for the fixed fate. What's the worse; depending on astrology or fortune-telling might not only waste money but even kill a life. As an example, some uneducated parents may bring their very sick child to the fortune teller or witch but not to the doctors. After waste some valuable time for curing at the fortune teller, the child may die or disabled. But if he was sent to hospital in time, he will be cured.

To sum up, nonmainstream areas of inquiry such as astrology or fortune-telling might have effect on the society by satisfying human needs to some extent. However, these nonmainstream areas of inquiry can never be exaggerated to have a significant influence to the society.