Issue177 The study of an academic discipline alters the way we perceive the world.

[wangrx]

Issue 177

 

"The study of an academic discipline alters the way we perceive the world. After studying the discipline, we see the same world as before, but with different eyes."

 

Response:

 

The study of a new academic discipline has really great influence on the thought of a person. I tend to agree with the speaker and will illustrate the viewpoint with examples from the study of natural, social and human sciences.

 

Different natural phenomena spark people’s curiosities from the childhood on the nature we depend on in order to make our living. When elementary- or middle-school students first confront new courses such as physics and chemistry, the simple truths behind intricate natural phenomena help unravel one puzzle after another existing in their mind for a long time. Many of them tend to appear excited. Fear due to ignorance will be expelled to a certain extent. It is the knowledge they learn from new disciplines in natural sciences that opens a window for kids to the nature mainly subject to order instead of chaos.

 

Economics 101, a mandatory course in most majors of colleges and universities, is a good illustration for how social sciences shape people’s mind. “People face tradeoffs in a world dominated by scarce” – the first principle of economics informs students to concern opportunity costs when they make choices in their lives. They will easily apply the simple and valuable principle. Without the study of the discipline economics, people will be less armed with smartness our predecessors came to realize through rich experience.

 

In the realm of human sciences, movie study, is a pertinent case to illuminate the speaker’s contention. Movie is one of the significant types of human art. Through seeing movies, people learn lots of human experience, come to know customs, mores, values of different cultures, and be moved by heart-breaking stories. However, nobody who likes movies is able to spend too much time in seeing the numerous movies available. Movie study, an elective course in many colleges and universities, can give students some useful instructions in appreciating movies, and have them share the feelings of others after viewing movies. The students will find that they might acquire new perspectives, and get fresh experience from a movie they view the second time after learning the course – movie study.

 

In sum, the study of an academic discipline can really instill something new in people’s mind, no matter which field the discipline belongs to – natural, social or human sciences. People will usually have new perspectives in viewing the same world they are living in.