Issue41 Victors 第8次作业

菲子UID: 2311527

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: 589          TIME: 1:09:13          DATE: 2007-6-6

Do nonmainstream areas of inquiry as astrology play a vital role in society, for they satisfy human needs that are not addressed by mainstream science? I partly agree with the speaker's opinion, since there are still many people nowadays believing in that although the mainstream science has been developed very well. However, the mainstream science can not be replaced by such nonmainstream areas because it facilities the development of the society.

The nonmainstream areas of inquiry such as astrology, fortune-telling, and psychic and paranormal pursuits once play a vital role in society in ancient times. At that time, science has not been developed well, so people who cannot explained many natural phenomena, such as the sun eclipse or the meteor often resorted to the augurs or oracles.  Those augurs or oracles explained the phenomena and relieved the public, sometimes brought them into panic, though. Their work was of great importance at that time, for the simple reason that people did not have other more scientific answers to those questions. In other cases, when it had not rained for several months, people would ask the oracle to communicate with God for a heavy rain. That kind of work might not bring about rain, but the mass calmed down. In the period that modern science and technology has not been well developed, the nonmainstream areas of inquiry and psychic and paranormal pursuits were very important to a society, for the reason that the mass could not ask for help from other realms.

Even today, the nonmainstream areas of inquiry exist in society, sometimes consisting of the people's daily lives. It seems that this kind of inquiry does not differentiate between the developed area and the undeveloped area. For example, the residents in Hong Kong, a modern city with highly developed technology, often turn to the augurs when they are going to begin a undertaking of their life, such as buying a house, opening a new shop. Although Hong Kong is an open city to the world, and residents there can approach to almost all the most advanced technology, they still ask for some paranormal help. It is possible that they have been used to it, but there is a great chance that they believe in it. Even the example in Hong Kong is rare, but most people, except for the most obstinate atheist, sometimes have an impulse to ask for help from paranormal material. Thus, the nonmainstream areas of inquiry and paranormal pursuits sometimes satisfy human needs when they can not get help from mainstream science.

It is true that the mainstream areas play a role in society, but in most cases, it is the mainstream science that promotes the social and technological development. Without the efforts of Newton, Einstein, and other great scientists, human beings will not be able to appreciate so many modern conveniences. Without the researches of many social scientists, they will not be able to enjoy the better social institutions. Therefore, mainstream scientists give far more contributions than the nonmainstream augurs do, although there are still some areas that mainstream science cannot approach to and left for the nonmainstream augurs.

Admittedly, during the long history of human being, astrology, fortune-telling and other paranormal pursuits, which considered as nonmainstream areas in modern society, play a vital role. In some places, people still turn to it for help nowadays.  However, they do not play a vital role in society any longer, since the mainstream science has solved many problems and in most circumstances, people do not need the nonmainstream solution.