Issue Topic：I wonder whether I am off topic???
Issue 153"Students should bring a certain skepticism to whatever they study. They should question what
they are taught instead of accepting it passively."
Should students bring a certain skepticism to whatever they study? Is it better for students to question what they are taught than accepting it passively? The author claims so. I fundamentally agree with it, since the skepticism will bring signifcant advancement to most domains in our society. However, as the author implies, undue skepticism should not be encouraged.
Learning is a process to gain new knowledge and modify existing knowledge. It is the ability of learning that impel the development of society. As the masters of the future society, it is crucial for sutdents to develop a correct attitude to learning.
Most siginificant advancements in society come from skepticism. First, questioning the wisdoms that have been established will give a chance to correct them, thus it will bring innovations to society. For instance, William Thomson, a mathematical physicist and engineer who was famous for the discovering the lower limit to temperature,i.e. absolute zero, once asserted that heavier-than-air flying machines were impossible. Fortunately, some people queried his assertation, including the White brothers, thus there born the first successful airplane. It is hard to imagine what the result of the Second World War would be, or how long it would be taken from China to America, if all individuals believed the claim about impossible areoplanes. Another instance is about the cosmological constant, which was proposed by Albert Einstein. When he found his general theory of relativity indicated an unstationary universe, which opposed most physicists' inculding his belief, he modified the equation by adding a cosmological constant. However, the astronomer Edwin Hubble's observation proved that our universe is expanding that proved the so-called cosmological constant damaged his theory in fact. If Einstein would be skeptical to the established truth of stationary universe at that time, he would not regret about this error later. If Hubble dared not to question that theory and did not publish his observation, the publics' understanding to the universe would differ.
Nonetheless, if one does not know a certain relevant knowledge, one's querying often becomes worthless, and impossilbe for that one to prove his questioning. The first successful real airplane did not only come from the questioning to the "impossible flying machines" assertation, but also because their knowledge in engineering, material and other relevant domains. If Hubble knew nothing about astronomy and universe, even if he did a lot of observations, he would not realized that the truth about expanding universe. Before Darwin proposed the hyopthesis of evolution, he learnt a lot knowledge about nature. The starters of new styles copied many their predecessors' before they built their own theories about painting.
Therefore, it is necessary to clarify that undue querying will impede the development of society. Individuals may question the authorities for pursuiting fames. When watching television or searching the Internet, the news about individuals or groups making evidences to disprove the wisdoms existed for their own fames is sometimes seen.
In summary, students with the skepticism when learning, the whole society have chances to develop. Nevertheless, for reasonalbe questioning, related knowledge is needed. Besides, if the whole society falls into unsound skepticism, it will impede the innovations on the contrary.
Issue 153"Students should bring a certain skepticism to whatever they study. They should question what
they are taught instead of accepting it passively."
Should students bring a certain skepticism to whatever they study? Is it better for students to question what they are taught than accepting it passively? The author claims so. I fundamentally agree with it, since the skepticism will bring signifcant advancement to most domains in our society. However, as the author implies, undue skepticism should not be encouraged.
Learning is a process to gain new knowledge and modify existing knowledge. It is the ability of learning that impel the development of society. As the masters of the future society, it is crucial for sutdents to develop a correct attitude to learning.
Most siginificant advancements in society come from skepticism. First, questioning the wisdoms that have been established will give a chance to correct them, thus it will bring innovations to society. For instance, William Thomson, a mathematical physicist and engineer who was famous for the discovering the lower limit to temperature,i.e. absolute zero, once asserted that heavier-than-air flying machines were impossible. Fortunately, some people queried his assertation, including the White brothers, thus there born the first successful airplane. It is hard to imagine what the result of the Second World War would be, or how long it would be taken from China to America, if all individuals believed the claim about impossible areoplanes. Another instance is about the cosmological constant, which was proposed by Albert Einstein. When he found his general theory of relativity indicated an unstationary universe, which opposed most physicists' inculding his belief, he modified the equation by adding a cosmological constant. However, the astronomer Edwin Hubble's observation proved that our universe is expanding that proved the so-called cosmological constant damaged his theory in fact. If Einstein would be skeptical to the established truth of stationary universe at that time, he would not regret about this error later. If Hubble dared not to question that theory and did not publish his observation, the publics' understanding to the universe would differ.
Nonetheless, if one does not know a certain relevant knowledge, one's querying often becomes worthless, and impossilbe for that one to prove his questioning. The first successful real airplane did not only come from the questioning to the "impossible flying machines" assertation, but also because their knowledge in engineering, material and other relevant domains. If Hubble knew nothing about astronomy and universe, even if he did a lot of observations, he would not realized that the truth about expanding universe. Before Darwin proposed the hyopthesis of evolution, he learnt a lot knowledge about nature. The starters of new styles copied many their predecessors' before they built their own theories about painting.
Therefore, it is necessary to clarify that undue querying will impede the development of society. Individuals may question the authorities for pursuiting fames. When watching television or searching the Internet, the news about individuals or groups making evidences to disprove the wisdoms existed for their own fames is sometimes seen.
In summary, students with the skepticism when learning, the whole society have chances to develop. Nevertheless, for reasonalbe questioning, related knowledge is needed. Besides, if the whole society falls into unsound skepticism, it will impede the innovations on the contrary.