ISSUE 54=美丽G程小组=小组第四次作业 BY petric

petricUID: 2719885

54"History teaches us only one thing: knowing about the past cannot help people to make important decisions today."

I totally disagree with the speaker that learning history is useless for us today to make important decisions. In fact, history teaches us a lot-it have us broaden our ken, obtain courage and knowledge to make greater achievements- during the process of searching for similarities from differences.

Learning from history ensures us a vision of differences in varied stages. If we are not aware of, and sensitive to any change, situations, opportunities that this era brings to us, we will lag behind. Yet what we are facing- values, customs, living conditions- differ with those in the history. Above all,  we are confused with, trapped in dilemmas that never happened before, and some of which challenge the established moralities and ethnics, like abortion. That may be the reason why the speaker asserts that history is handicapped for today's plan. Ironically, most of people are inclined to turn to history for a favor under these situations, because history will be like lens which focus on rules synthesized from similarities of past.

From the perspective of singular individual, history is a rearview mirror, which reflects human nature. Through this mirror, we will find similar roles as ourselves played in the past and even make a comparison with ancestors’ lives. Grounding on the aesthetical ground and human understanding, historical stories revel how people and society have actually functioned, why our complex species behaves as it does in societal settings. Besides, they prompt thoughts about human experiences in other time and places. One might query whether there is necessity to acknowledge what seems in sociology and anthropology. Actually, clearly understanding these points better our notions about who we are, and where we are going, especially, when we are dealing with subjective issues, such as how to develop our society, or construct a party.Meanwhile we are more tolerant to complex issues and problems which cause troubles, anger, worry even desperation. For that matter learning from past, involves not only a touch with our feelings and emotions, but ultimately another perspective on human life. In short, learning operation of history widens our horizon and opens our mind to the world.


In the view as a whole to look into happenings on the society, history serves as a tutor who helps us understand changes of today. In the era of rapid scientific and technological change leading to increasing life complexity, we need to look further back to identity the causes of change and take advantage of opportunity today. Only through history can we grasp the factors that cause change; only through history can we understand how things change; only through history can we comprehend what elements of a society persist despite change. From Newtonian classical Physics to Einstein's theory of relativity and further to quantum theory, numerous trial and errors revel that it is wisdom, persistence as well as optimism that construct today's civilization. At the meantime, scientists and researches tell us skepticism is the driving force to inspire, nurture and cultivate innovations, which in turn challenge established rules to proper social development.Standing on the shoulder of precursors, enjoying knowledge and experience that our forerunners left, we can view how things develop better and further.

History, like a miracle mirror, helps us predict and understand our own future. A philosopher once said "whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events resemble those of preceding times". This illustrates recurrence of historical events and pattern, because rules of nature are objective, and history is just a spatial and temporal carrier to provide truth. Consider, principle of economics reveled by buying and selling, principle of governing represented by dynastic cycle. The development of each element is between the process of denial and affirmation.

In sum, knowing about the past will help us find the wisdom and method which direct and target our development. Through reconstructing the remote past, we will not only enjoy a sense of beauty, but also construct the dream in the foreseeable future.

petricUID: 2719885

作业交晚了，哎，语言写得时候那个贫乏啊，找范例东拼西凑那个难啊……汗死了