History leads us to the bright destination in the ocean of social development and revolution

TOPIC: ISSUE103 - "The study of history has value only to the extent that it is relevant to our daily lives."

here is my issue, please give me some advices, thx a lot

history

By using the word "only" the author's statement may be absolute to some extent since the study of history could be approached in many ways and be valued in many respects, which make the history studying has various values beyond our daily life.

To begin with, in this complicated world, there are many kinds of history and many ways to learn history. In scientific field, the history is the laboratory record, which scientists carefully analyse, when they design their further experiment. In business world, the history is the previous sales report, which the manages read, when they decide how to market new products. In hospital, the history is patients' medical journal, to which the doctors refer, when they diagnose their patients. These kinds of history study maybe not relevant to our daily live, yet, they still have great values beyond our daily life.

Move over, the history study could be valued in many respect which makes it valuable for many situations even though it is not relevant to our daily lives. The materials of history, written or unwritten, actually are carriers of our ancestor's wisdom and philosophy, and if we look behind the faces of these materials, we are able to find some of this wisdom and philosophy are permanently and universal. With modern technology, such as radios, the Internet, computers, etc. the leaders of military and business still read the ancient Chinese book "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, who lived in his time when people battled with swords and spears. What make the book so popular is not the way in it about how to use cold weapons but the wisdom and philosophy of how to win a war. As a student majoring marketing, one of my curriculums are about the " The Art of War" in business world. The dean of my college told us " when you study the history with a more open mind, and find the true meaning of this book, you will find valuable guide lines for our study and work." As discussed above, the study of history show its various value in many respects even some of the materials are not relevant to our daily lives.

In sum, studying history is like looking back the road map which lead we human beings where we are and what we are today, more importantly, the ultimately goal of looking this map is to find a compass which could lead us to the bright destination in the ocean of social development and revolution. The study of history has every reasons to be valued highly whether it is relevant to daily life or not.

Actually, I an not sure about the meaning of "daily life" so I don't know how to present my idea probably.
If I illustrate that ecologist study the history of climate to know how to protect the environment in the future, I would state that this kind of history study may not be relevant to our life, but still has great value.

However, a voice in my mind told me, the environment is surely relevant to our daily life, because we all live one the Earth, so as the economy...

Would some one enlighten me, and give me a accurate definition of daily life?

I deem your essay irrelevant to the topic, especially the second paragraph.
In my opinion, the topic wants you to show that history is valuable only when we can learn from it, then use the knowledge or experience to make this contemporary society a better place. In another word, history which we can't learn from is no more than a useless piece of paper.

Give it another try :)

I think you should approach the question differently. The first paragraph is very confusing. I think you should approach the question by telling how history is indeed relevant because it reveals principles that are at work to determine outcomes.

That book by Sun Tsu that you mentioned.. it is all about universal principles, natural law. That is a great example. Yet, it is not a history book! It is a strategy book.

So, like Chinh said, you should take another whack at it. The truth is that it IS relevant, and you need to explain how it is. Principles are at work.

:-)

EF_Kevin
thanks for your advices.

However, if I focus on whether the history is relevant to our daily life or not, I will take a risk of digressing from the topic, since it is about "The study of history has value only to the extent that it is relevant to our daily lives"

as you mentioned " first paragraph is very confusing", maybe what you really mean is my second paragraph. In this paragraph, I try to expand the definition of study of history to a broader view in order to illustrate the example of Sun Tzu's book in next paragraph.

may i ask what confuse you most in my second paragraph? the ideas or the use of my language? this is very important for me, because the more I know about how American think, the easier for me to crash the gre test.

ps: consider the study of history in a broader and general view actually is not my idea, I read it from a article:

In our complicated civilization there are many kinds of history. Every textbook, every laboratory record, every medical journal, every agricultural report is a history which conceivably could save some record of progress from oblivion. I am in the insurance business, which as businesses go is relatively in its infancy. Yet there is a vast history of the insurance business; not a written history in the sense that you could get it and read it; but a record of the trials and errors by which some modern insurance companies have grown and progressed, and by which they avoid the pitfalls of the past and build for the future. The first insurors were gamblers and they necessarily asked high odds because they were taking long chances.

kshs.org/publicat/khq/1935/35_1_lindsley.htm

looking for your reply .

Yes, I think I was talking about the second paragraph, sorry! I see one part of the first line, though, that is incorrect:
which make the study of history something that has intrinsic value. has various values beyond our daily life. --- when we say intrinsic value, we mean that it is valuable even when there is no practical application.

The confusing paragraph
To begin with, in this complicated world, there are ... These kinds of history study may not be relevant to our daily lives, yet the y still have great value beyond our daily life.

I changed values to value, because with an s on the end "value" means something like "a belief someone has."

You know what, my friend? I think the reason I was confused by the second paragraph was that the topic of the essay is confusing. It is just a very hard essay prompt to answer. When they ask if history has value ONLY to the extent that it is relevant to daily life, it makes me think, "All history has relevance to daily life because natural principles are at work!"

Part of the problem was that I missed this question about daily life:
"If I illustrate that ecologist study the history of climate to know how to protect the environment in the future, I would state that this kind of history study may not be relevant to our life, but still has great value." ----- Daily life is all about what we do every day, but it is not a clear term. People can interpret it in different ways. The word relevant is also unclear. In my opinion, the study of history is always relevant because it is all based on natural principles, like the Dao (Way) of Chinese philosophy.

Daily life is what you do every day. It is different from theory. This essay prompt is asking if it is helpful to study history even if the history lesson has no application to daily life, but I think all history lessons have application in daily life, because they reflect those natural principles.

Also, daily life for me is different from daily life for you. We each have a different kind of day. So.. this is a very difficult essay prompt!!

I think you can make it clearer by adding one more sentence to the end of that short first paragraph:
By using the word "only" the author's statement may be absolute to some extent since the study of history could be approached in many ways and be valued in many respects, which make the study of history something that has intrinsic value. (add a sentence that tells why the multiple ways of approaching history give it intrinsic value.)

The study of history has every reason to be valued highly, whether it is relevant to daily life or not.

I agree with your argument that it has absolute value, that the study of history has value even if there is no practical application. Yet, I think there is always a practical application if you can see the natural principles that are at work.

I hope that helps! I think you are doing very well.

:-)

EF_Kevin

many many thanks.

I think what we have a agreement on is the topic is so difficult, and I hope I will not come to it on my test. : )

your reply indicates that you have a much deeper understanding of this topic than I do, and I learned a lot from this and other replays of yours.

thanks again...

: )