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Debate Score:66
Arguments:50
Total Votes:76
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 10A01_To what extent is the study of history beneficial to the future of the human race? (50)

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angelsong(114) pic



10A01_To what extent is the study of history beneficial to the future of the human race?

Study of history affecting the future of the human race - Positive or negative impact?

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8 points

Through the study of history, we would be able to observe and examine environmental trends and occurrences, and consequently deduce the solutions to adapt to or counter similar problems that might arise in the future. One example would be the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which could be considered to be one of the most devastating natural disasters to have struck our Southeast Asian shores in recent years. According to an article in Geographical magazine (April 2008), the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004 was not the worst that the region could expect. Professor Costas Synolakis of the Tsunami Research Center at the University of Southern California co-authored a paper in Geophysical Journal International which suggests that a future tsunami in the Indian Ocean basin could affect locations such as Madagascar, Singapore, Somalia, Western Australia, and many others. However, if we learn to take precautionary measures, such as the installations of sirens near vulnerable coastal areas and evacuation exercises, we would be able to prevent or lessen the loss of lives and property. Another example would be regarding active volcanoes, where many residences are still located in the vicinity and hence are in an extremely vulnerable position. However, by analysing the necessary data obtained through recordings of past volcanic activities, predictions of future eruptions can be made and there will be adequate time for actions to be taken. The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo is the world's second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century, but successful predictions of the onset of the climactic eruption led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from the surrounding areas, saving many lives. As such, we will not be merely left to the mercy of nature, for we would possess the knowledge to protect ourselves by learning from the past.

2 points

Evidently one of the better paragraphs here :)

1. The topic sentence is well-written. Separating the elaboration and explanation from the topic sentence can allow for better flow in the paragraph.

2. The examples used are substantial, relevant and well put to use. There's clear link of the examples to the questions with good explanations and elaborations.

3. Nice linking of concluding sentence back to the question.

1 point

Relevant use of examples and good development of paragraph. Points are link back to the topic and a rather balanced conclusion is made.

1 point

A very clear stand is seen in this paragraph. Examples were very good as it supported the point. What it lacked was a more thorough elaboration which will make the paragraph even better :)

1 point

This argument is good because:

1) There is a clear topic sentence which includes the main topic and the side which the writer is taking. Once we read the topic sentence, we would know what the writer is trying to say.

2) The examples are relevant and well backed up.

3) Examples are well elaborated on and links back to the question.

1 point

(1) Well elaborated paragraph

(2) The examples given were linked back to the question

(3) Topic sentence was clear and it gave the reader an idea of what the paragraph was going to be about.

1 point

This is a good argument because she summarises the problem at hand very well. Her evidence are also relevant and backs the arguement up very well. There is a link to the topic sentence at the end and she clearly addresses the question very appropiately and systematically.

1 point

1.) her stand is clear and well evaluated. She understood the implications of how studying history can be beneficial to the human race.

2.) she did not merely list examples but explained the links to her topic sentence which shows how the examples are relevant.

3.) at the end of her paragraph, she analysed and evaluated the positive outcome of studying history.

good job, claire:)

1 point

hello claire.

1. good use of examples. very substiantial and supports your argument fully. examples are in depth.

2. however, you need to draw more insights from your examples and elaborate + explain why as seen from the examples, the study of history is beneficial. like what the ultimate benefits are and so on. othwerise, agrument would be example-driven! ON SHAPZZ AHHHH!

3. anyhow, good job! yipeeee!

sou kuin

1 point

HELLO

I think this is a rather well written paragraph. Your examples are substantiated with facts making it seem more believable. The paragraph flow smoothly as well. There are links back to the topic sentences. Good! (: (:

1 point

clear topic sentence and good development of paragraph. example is also well explained(:

4 points

The study of history is also not beneficial to the future of the human race as it keeps prejudice and discrimination alive. By studying history, people could be reminded of racial or religious differences and old prejudices could be inflamed again. This lays the ground for more wars or riots, based on old grudges or prejudices in the hearts of people. For example, Protestant may learn a different kind of history and this makes them hate the Catholics and vice-versa. The study of history could affect them in such a way, especially if history is presented in a biased point of view, aiming to provoke passionate and angry feelings. Hence, the study of history is not beneficial to the future of the human race, especially as it could cause wars or riots, detrimental to the peace of society.

2 points

Good elaboration about how studying history can affect social/racial cohesion. However, example is rather vague, would be better if further elaboration on the example is given.

2 points

I agree with this point. I feel that there is strong elaboration, the debate is presented very well, and the example supports this debate. good job overall!

faidah(2) Disputed
1 point

(1) Good explanation and elaboration of your topic sentence :)

(2) However, you may want to elaborate your example more.

(3) Overall, the paragraph is well-argued, just need to apply more to society's context. :3

1 point

I agree with your stand as many countries like Japan, Russia etc. have convey biased facts to their new generation, causing rifts and misunderstandings that might escalate in the future, especially with extremist people in the world today. It might cause terror attacks too like with the rise of extremists groups like the Al Qaeda. who deem that the western powers caused disruptions in the past in the middle east, which is a biased viewpoint :)

1 point

Good topic sentence, straight to the point bringing out your argument. Good explanation. Mistake: "For example, Protestants might be taught a different kind of history due to the different perspective in the past thus making them have a bad impression on the Catholics, vice versa. The study of history can cause disharmony just because of what happened in the past, and it doesn't matter whether the conflicting groups have anything to conflict about today." "The study of history .. detrimantal to the peace in the society." Good ending to link back to point. Good job! Short and sweet paragraph. (:

1 point

Paragraph flows. And a good link(:

But the example could have been better elaborated.

1 point

1) Good paragraph with a clear example.

2) Karen may want to give specific examples about how the Protestants distest the Catholics and vice-versa. (E.g. Rights to vote, housing and education)

3) Good ending with link back to the topic sentence.

1 point

Clearly identify the issue and arguments are well deveopled. However, a more detailed elaboration of the example will be better to draw a clearer link to the topic. :D

1 point

I think your evidence, elaboration and link was great. The flow of the argument is also very smooth; very coherent and easy to understand. Awesome job Karen! :D

1 point

1. Good topic sentence as it gives the reader a concise picture of your argument.

2. Maybe you can mention the extent as to how the study of history will harm the future of the human race.

2 points

The study of history is not beneficial to the future of the human race due to the fact that it keeps prejudice and discrimination alive. The constant study of history has not only made a repeated emphasis on past happenings but the various ways this history is studied in different parts of the world has had different impacts on people. Take for instance the case where Protestants and Catholics in Ireland study different things regarding their history. This puts the two groups at a greater risk of getting into a tension which could escalate to conflicts. As a result, this disparity in the things they study of the past, has resulted in a negative way of viewing each other. As we can see, this study of history has implanted wrongful perceptions of one group over the other. How then can we say that the study of history will be beneficial to the human race? Chances are that this excessive and wrongful study of the past would cause people to have biased and discriminative views on other groups of people without properly assessing the truth and credibility of the information provided. Hence, this study of the past has unintentionally exerted viewpoints in our minds that do not necessarily reflect the truth in society but instead, are based on sheer prejudice.

1 point

I think you have a very good point here. The argument is well-developed, with examples, but I think more ought to be provided. For one, the case of the Protestants and Catholics could be an isolated one. heheheeeeee

1 point

1) Evidence is relevant but you could have supported your points with more relevant information from Ireland, or maybe even other sources :)

2) Elaboration of evidence is sufficient and relevant.

3) I think some of your sentences are rather long. Maybe you could have broken it up or put commas?

Vanivamaatan(11) Disputed
-1 points

Other possible more interesting examples include: ( in increasing order of complexity)

women (especially in some middle east countries)

The Rwandan conflict

the emo cult

offsprings from interracial marriages

gays

Jehovah's witnesses in America (etc.....)

awsmjean(6) Disputed
2 points

I do not feel that you should dispute a point just based on the the fact that an example used might not be interesting; the example does its work of supporting the point. Rejecting an argument on the basis that the examples given are not interesting enough is not valid.

billiejoe(5) Disputed
0 points

dear varun,

are you sure that the "emo" people are considered a cult? and saying that they're a emo cult is not a proper terminology. and they're not gays,they're homosexuals.

The study of history is beneficial to prevent mistakes from happening again.

Side: prevent mistakes
2 points

no elaboration,no explanation,no examples!take this seriously...

Side: prevent mistakes
1 point

Umm, June, trumpeter isnt from our class. haha. sorry about that =P

Side: prevent mistakes
trumpeter93(998) Disputed
1 point

You want examples?

After we nuked Japan to end WW2, no nation nuked another nation in a time of war because they knew the consequences.

We know not to use the pesticide DDT because it's harmful.

We know not to use chemical agents in war because it's "inhumane"

Side: prevent mistakes
1 point

Knowing about the history of the environment will help us to deter further disasters and facilitate to efficient evacuations. One example is the unexpected Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004. Most countries were caught unprepared for the gigantic five-storey killer waves that swept away thousands of innocent lives. Before the Tsunami happened, there were no safety measures taken to protect the people against such natural disasters. The aftermath of this disaster brought about an onslaught of and meteorology’s forecasting devices. Warning towers were set up to detect the tremors under water and sound sirens to alert them of the imminent Tsunami. All these measures were taken up and has effectively bring about a significant fall in the amount of casualties in subsequent Tsunami. Learning from the history of natural disasters can help us to bring the damage level of it to the lowest possible.

Side: prevent mistakes
1 point

Topic sentence could have been better. The topic sentence should be elaborated on first before giving an example. However the example use was appropriate.

Side: prevent mistakes
1 point

Hi!

1) I like your Boxing Day example - it's very relevant to your topic sentence.

2) However I feel that using more than one example would further strengthen your point. :)

3) Wow you even know about all the cheem equipment they used. :D

4) I think it needs a better link - somehow your conclusion feels very abrupt.

5) But otherwise, good job Qianhui! :D

Side: prevent mistakes
1 point

Hi Qian Hui :D

im not too sure it is possilbe for us to deter natural disasters. Having constant monitoring of the environment and facilitatiling evacuations is more feasible. Good example and evaluation though. There is a clear link to the question. Check the grammer of the paragraph.

-brought about an onslaught of and meteorology’s forecasting devices

- and facilitate to efficient evacuations.

Side: prevent mistakes
1 point

There is a general idea of what you are writing but the choice of words you used could be better. For eg. "deter furthur disaster" maybe use "reduce the impact/damage" because you cannot deter a disaster. Your last sentence was good. Example is very relvant to your point however, more examples might be better.

Side: prevent mistakes
1 point

1) Good example used, after which there are clear elaborations given.

2) Clear links given in the paragraph, and the conclusion clearly linked back to the topic sentence.

3) Grammatical errors!

Side: prevent mistakes
1 point

detailed example, but more elaboration on the point could have been done. Also, 'foresee' would be a more suitable word to use instead of 'deter'.

Side: prevent mistakes
1 point

yo qianhui!

good use of examples to substantiate your argument. BUTTTTT, more needs to be elaborated on the benefits and how it will affect the future should such natural disasters hit the shores again. in others words, more breadth. but anyhoo, good job!! wheeeee~ -twirls around-

sou kuin

Side: prevent mistakes
Vanivamaatan(11) Disputed
-2 points
billiejoe(5) Disputed
1 point

What you have asked her to improve on is not relevant to what she has said. I think that she has written a very good paragraph and supported her point with good examples. The links are clear and are true. What you are saying does not make sense and is not relevant to her point. >:D

Side: prevent mistakes
1 point

The study of history is helpful in helping us learn from the mistakes of the past and thus avoiding or finding a solution for similar situations now. For example, from the Great Depression 1930s, we learned that government intervention is vital in helping the global economy to recover. Back then, the governments did not step in to help, which was their mistake, and thus the recovery of the economy took very long. In the recent recession, governments learned from this lesson from history and thus stepped in to help businesses and banks. As a result, the economy is recovering much quicker as compared to the past and the situation is better. As such, the study of history and past situation, in this case the mistake of the governments, is beneficial for our future as similar situations might occur again and the studying can aid us in resolving them.

Side: prevent mistakes
1 point

Examples of what the government did would have made an excellent parahraph. Good try (:

Side: prevent mistakes
Eugene Disputed
1 point

This user does not explain and elaborate and jumps straight to examples. The economy is still in a bad state with Greece in tatters.

Side: prevent mistakes
1 point

yea if you had given examples and linked that to yr point correctly, i think it wud've been better :)

Side: prevent mistakes
1 point

1. Marcus's argument is quite well developed but he doesn't seem to state how the government tried to intervene to find a solution for the problem.

2. Topic sentence can be phrased in a better way.

Side: prevent mistakes
1 point

an example would have made the paragraph better,and help you to emphasize your points:)

Side: prevent mistakes
1 point

1. The topic sentence is not phrased very clearly. It would have have been clearer if it was, "The study of history is helpful in helping us to learn from the mistakes of the past and thus avoiding similar situations and finding solutions for them."

Otherwise I agree with the stand and there's a clear flow of argument. (:

Side: prevent mistakes
1 point

Hello Marcus,

This paragraph is well developed with a good example. However, because this example points specifically to the economic recovery of the Great Depression and how we can learn from it, it does not higlight the other mistakes of the past from other aspects such as social: the holocaust or khmer rouge regime, cultural: female circumcision and etc. Therefore, it does not highlight the possible lesson that we could learn and apply with regards to other aspects. Still a good job :)

Side: prevent mistakes