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57. The main benefit of the study of history is to dispel the illusion that people living now are significantly different from people who lived in earlier times.
The statement above claims that the main benefit of learning history is to dispel the illusion that people living now are significantly different from people who lived in earlier times. While I concede that the history of human beings sometimes seems strikingly alike and the basic human nature has not changed over recorded history, but the differences appeared in the history are as remarkable as the similarities and learning from them can be just as beneficial.
It is true that there are lots of things remained unchanged throughout our history. While society structure, economy system and technology in the outer world have been through several revolutions so far, the biology of human body and the basic human nature which were kept in the written history remain constant. This realization stands as the crucial assumption for us to learn from history since the way in which our brains work haven’t changed much since then and we can understand the decisions the ancestors made.
However, the understanding of similarities are not the goal but the start of learning from the history.
Firstly, learning history can remind us the path our ancestors passed and how the world has changed because of their hard-working. Back to the 19th century, people at that time still thought atoms were the fundamental constituents of matter, while now the atoms are discomposed by the scientists and particles in the sub-nuclear realm such as the quarks and gluons have been found. The history of these development keep remind us that we are living on the achievement of people who lived in earlier time and encourage us to do better.
Secondly, the study of history make it possible to see the world behind more clearly and to learn from the past mistakes. There was a period when Black people were thought to be inferior to White citizens and can be bought and sold like animals by the plantation owners. That is a dark era for Blacks and luckily it was end by the abolition of slavery. By learning from all the mistakes of our ancestors have made, we can make sure that the same mistake won’t be repeated in the future and consequently the world will be a better place to live for every human beings on this planet.
In sum, although the appearance and the character haven’t changed greatly during the procession of human civilization, the increasing knowledge accumulated through history have made us more intelligible and more aware of our abilities and limitations. The benefits of the study of history are far more than merely breaking down the so-called illusion but reminding us of the twisted way the human civilization have been through and to make it easier for a better future. |
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发表于 2013-3-1 20:38:34
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