issue120

ttzoeUID：202809

Issue 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.


Does understanding the past have no use in today since so many things are new and complex, as the speaker assert? It is somewhat tempting to agree with this claim at the first glance. However, careful scrutiny tells me that I cannot agree with the speaker. Actually, it is the other way around, the reasons that support my point of view are discussed below.

To begin with, understanding of the past help us advance. Lending credence to my position is the development in the science realm. Newton’s gravity laws, for example, are the opus came out of his study of Descartes’ and other prior theories. He once said (and I paraphrase):” I can see further only because I stand on the shoulder of giants”. This is true in modern times as well. There is no denying that the science is developing at an unprecedented rate. New theories and devises are conceived in nearly every minute, all of which would have influence on our lives and societies. How can we understand these technological innovations, or the role that theories play in the development of science, if we do not know the similar experience in the past?

In the second place, understanding the past is not restricted in the science fields, it also has significance in helping us understand people and societies today. On the one hand, studying the past allows us understand the changes in human behavior. Taking the divorce as an example. In the past decades, the rate of divorce in china has raised. And people’s attitudes also have changed. What factors lead to this change? How do they affect the variation? Without looking into the past we could not figure out all of these. Only through studying history can we grasp why such changes occur; only through history can we begin to apprehend the factors that cause changes; and only through history can we understand what elements of an institution or a society persist despite changes.

On the other hand, the comprehension of the past events teaches us appreciate our lives. Those accomplishments and mistakes of the past reveal the mechanism of people and societies. In turn, they spark thoughts about the standards of human experience—from a historical eye. These understandings of the behavioral criteria help us to a great extent absorb experience and avoid those mistakes. This, fundamentally, is the reason why we cannot stay away from history: it offers evidential base for the contemplation and analysis of how people and societies functions, and therefore the running of ones’ own life.

Further, the knowledge of the past contributes to moral understanding. Studying the performance of precedent individuals provides the opportunity for us to check our own moral sense. We all have encountered or will encounter with adverseness or dilemma in our lives, historical figures can serve as paragons and test stones. Those noble persons’ activities hone ourselves to be more reasonable and ultimately more dignified. Those notorious ones give lessons what is nor permitted. Despite of their difference in approches, both provide constructive protest. Thereby, contribute to the build up of our moral perceptions.

To sum up, although I concede that our world keeps changing into a more complex and new one, understanding the past is indispensable in our understanding of the changes and dealing with contemporary phases. Moreover it is of great importance in facing and solving the problems of our lives and humanities.

[ Last edited by staralways on 2005-8-24 at 22:47 ]

AutumnseaUID：2125396

Does understanding the past have no use(没见过这种用法。改：Is .... of no use) in today since so many things are new and complex, as the speaker assert? It is somewhat tempting to agree with this claim at the first glance. However, careful scrutiny tells me that I cannot agree with the speaker. Actually, it is the other way around, the reasons that support my point of view are discussed below.

To begin with, understanding of the past help(s) us advance. Lending credence to my position is the development in the science realm. Newton’s gravity laws, for example, are the opus came out of his study of Descartes’ and other prior theories. He once said (and I paraphrase):” I can see further only because I stand on the shoulder of giants”. This is true in modern times as well. There is no denying that the science is developing at an unprecedented rate. New theories and devises are conceived in nearly every minute, all of which would have influence on our lives and societies. How can we understand these technological innovations, or the role that theories play in the development of science, if we do not know the similar experience in the past?（这段思路是好的，不过最好别这样用牛顿的例子了吧，太经典了，容易判雷同）
In the second place, understanding the past is not restricted in the science fields, it also has significance in helping us understand people and societies today. On the one hand, studying the past allows us (to) understand the changes in human behavior. Taking the divorce as an example. In the past decades, the rate of divorce in china has raised. And people’s attitudes also have changed. What factors lead to this change? How do they affect the variation? Without looking into the past we could not figure out all of these. Only through studying history can we grasp why such changes occur; only through history can we begin to apprehend the factors that cause changes; and only through history can we understand what elements of an institution or a society persist despite changes.(这段例子不是很懂....离婚的例子说明了什么？没有对这个例子更进一步的解释和总结吗？）

On the other hand, the comprehension of the past events teaches us appreciate our lives. Those accomplishments and mistakes of the past reveal the mechanism of people and societies. In turn, they spark thoughts about the standards of human experience—(这个标点的作用？)from a historical eye. These understandings of the behavioral criteria help us to a great extent absorb experience and avoid those mistakes. This, fundamentally, is the reason why we cannot stay away from history: it offers evidential base for the contemplation and analysis of how people and societies functions, and therefore the running of ones’ own life.（这个body，有些抽象的说..，论证的不是很清楚，感觉句子重复）
Further, the knowledge of the past contributes to moral understanding. Studying the performance of precedent individuals provides the opportunity for us to check our own moral sense. We all have encountered or will encounter with adverseness or dilemma in our lives, historical figures can serve as paragons and test stones. Those noble persons’ activities hone ourselves to be more reasonable and ultimately more dignified. Those notorious ones give lessons what is nor permitted. Despite of their difference in approches, both provide constructive protest. Thereby, contribute to the build up of our moral perceptions.（这个能不能放到吸收经验的body里？）

To sum up, although I concede that our world keeps changing into a more complex and new one, understanding the past is indispensable in our understanding of the changes and dealing with contemporary phases. Moreover it is of great importance in facing and solving the problems of our lives and humanities.

1.站在过去的高度进步(科学方面)
2.了解现在的人类和社会?
3.忆苦思甜?吸收经验？
4.道德方面，榜样作用？
这种提纲，怎么说呢，不是不可以，不过总觉得4个body逻辑联系不大。

不过感觉语言还是不错的，很多句式我就不会用，希望不是抄模版的赫赫:)
而且，完全避开了题目中的complex and new,我觉得这样的思路条例会更清楚：
不同意：
1.确实很new and complex
2.由于这种complex和new,才更需要过去知识的支撑（主要段落，可以分写一些分论点
比如你的文章里提到的某些作用）
3.过去的知识并不足够，需要创新.
随便想的，参考一下。

另外问一下，这种开头结尾中间的文章见过很多，是不是某种模版？

ttzoeUID：202809

我现在脑子又乱了（好着急），对不起，暂时给不出具体解释，我再想想，谢谢你