SAT历年写作真题及OG与OC写作

SATEssay历年真题全集

2005-3001

Giventheimportanceofhumancreativity,onewouldthinkitshouldhaveahighpriorityamongourconcerns.Butif

welookatthereality,weseeadifferentpicture.Basicscientificresearchisminimizedinfavorofimmediatepractical

applications.Theartsareincreasinglyseenasdispensableluxuries.Yetascompetitionheatsuparoundtheglobe,

exactlytheoppositestrategyisneeded.

Iscreativityneededmorethaneverintheworldtoday?

2005-3002

Istheopinionofthemajority-ingovernmentorinanyothercircumstances-apoorguide?

2005-6003

Icannotcomprehendthosewhoemphasizeorrecognizeonlywhatisuseful.Iamconcernedthatlearningforlearning's

sakeisnolongerconsidereddesirable,thateverythingwedoandthinkmustbedirectedtowardthesolutionofa

practicalproblem.Moreandmoreweseemtotrytoteachhowtomakeagoodlivingandnothowtoliveagoodlife.

Dopeopleputtoomuchemphasisonlearningpracticalskills?

2005-6004

Mostofourschoolsarenotfacinguptotheirresponsibilities.Wemustbegintoaskourselveswhethereducators

shouldhelpstudentsaddressthecriticalmoralchoicesandsocialissuesofourtime.Schoolshaveresponsibilities

beyondtrainingpeoplefbrjobsandgettingstudentsintocollege.

Shouldschoolshelpstudentsunderstandmoralchoicesandsocialissues?

2005-6005

Themedianotonlytransmitinformationandculture,theyalsodecidewhatinformationisimportant.Inthatway,they

helptoshapecultureandvalues.

Donewspapers,magazines,television,radio,movies,theInternet,andothermediadeterminewhatisimportantto

mostpeople?

2005-6006

Manypersonsbelievethattomoveuptheladderofsuccessandachievement,theymustforgetthepast,repressit,and

relinquishit.Butothershavejusttheoppositeview.Theyseeoldmemoriesasachancetoreckonwiththepastand

integratepastandpresent.

Domemorieshinderorhelppeopleintheirefforttolearnfromthepastandsucceedinthepresent?

2005-10007

*'Nowadaysnothingisprivate:ourculturehasbecometooconfessionalandself-expressive.Peoplethinkthattohide

one'sthoughtsorfeelingsistopretendnottohavethosethoughtsorfeelings.Theyassumethathonestyrequiresoneto

expresseveryinclinationandimpulse."

Shouldpeoplemakemoreofanefforttokeepsomethingsprivate?

2005-11008

Shouldourperceptionsofbeautybeinfluencedbytheperceptionsofbeautyofotherpeople?

2005-11009

Therearesituationswhereflatteryismandatory:Thebrideisalwaysbeautiful.Ifwelookatsomeone*sartwork,weare

obligedtosaysomethingcomplimentarytotheartist.Ifwevisitsomeonewithanewbaby,wearerequiredtosaythe

infantiscute.Insuchsituations,tosaynothingisinterpretedasrudeness.Wecomplimenteachotherbecausewe

understandthatflatterymakesliferunsmoothly.

Ispraisingothers,evenifthepraiseisexcessiveorundeserved,anecessarypartoflife?

2005-H010

Isconflicthelpful?

2005-11011

Dopeoplenow(i.e.,didtheynotinthepast?)usemoney(andthethingsthatmoneycanbuy)tomeasuresuccess

insteadofusingmoremeaningfulwaystomeasuresuccess?

2006-1012

Everyimportantdiscoveryresultsfrompatience,perseverance,andconcentration-sometimescontinuingfbrmonths

oryearsononespecificsubject.Apersonwhowantstodiscoveranewtruthmustremainabsorbedbythatone

subjectmustpaynoattentiontoanythoughtthatisunrelatedtotheproblem.

Areallimportantdiscoveriestheresultoffocusingononesubject?

2006-5013

Somepeopleclaimthateachindividualissolelyresponsibleforwhathappenstohimorher.Buttheclaimthatwe

oughttotakeabsoluteresponsibilityforthekindsofpeopleweareandthekindsoflivesweleadsuggeststhatwehave

completecontroloverourlives.Wedonot.Thecircumstancesofourlivescanmakeitmoreorlessimpossibletomake

certainkindsofchoices.

Arewefreetomakeourowndecisionsorarewelimitedinthechoiceswecanmake?

2006-5014

Certainlyanyonewhoinsistsoncondemningallliesshouldthinkaboutwhatwouldhappenifwecouldreliablytell

whenourfamily,friends,colleagues,andgovernmentleadersweredeceivingus.Itistemptingtothinkthattheworld

wouldbecomeabetterplacewithoutthedeceptionsthatseemtointerferewithourattemptsaregenuine

communication.Ontheotherhand,perhapsthereissuchathingastoomuchhonesty.

Wouldtheworldbeabetterplaceifeveryonealwaystoldthecompletetruth?

2006-5015Itisnotthatpeopledislikebeingpartofacommunity;itisjustthattheycareabouttheirindividual

freedomsmore.Peoplevalueneighborlinessandsocialinteractionuntilbeingpartofagrouprequiresthemtolimit

theirfreedomforthelargergoodofthegroup.Butacommunityorgroupcannotfunctioneffectivelyunlesspeopleare

willingtosetasidetheirpersonalinterests.

Doesthesuccessofacommunity-whetheritisaclass,ateam,afamily,anation,oranyothergroup-dependupon

people'swillingnesstolimittheirpersonalinterests?

2006-5016

Thereisanoldsaying:"Apersonwithonewatchknowswhattimeitis;apersonwithtwowatchesisn'tsosure."In

otherwords,apersonwholooksatanobjectoreventfromtwodifferentanglesseessomethingdifferentfromeach

position.Moreover,twoormorepeoplelookingatthesamethingmayeachperceivesomethingdifferent.Inother

words,truth,likebeauty,maylieintheeyeofthebeholder.

Doesthetruthchangedependingonhowpeoplelookatthings?

2006-6017

Wemeasureourprogressasacivilizationbywhatweseeasadvancesintechnology,whichseemmoresignificantthan

suchconcernsaseducationandtheconditionofthenaturalworld.Still,Iwouldprefertobeapartofacommunitythat

judgeditselfonthehappinessofitsmembersratherthanonthedevelopmentofnewtechnology.

Doesastrongcommitmenttotechnologicalprogresscauseasocietytoneglectothervalues,suchaseducationandthe

protectionoftheenvironment?

2006-6018

Peopleareoftentoldtoobeytherules.Inreality,theserulesarenotpermanent:whatisrightatagivenpointintime

maybedeclaredwrongatanothertimeandviceversa.Theworldchangessorapidlythatrulesareout-of-datealmost

assoonastheyarecreated.Peoplecannotrelyonestablishedguidelinestodeterminewhattheyshouldandshouldnot

do.

Areestablishedrulestoolimitedtoguidepeopleinreal-lifesituations?

2006-6019

Isuspectthatlikemanypeoplewhowatchtheirdiet,exerciseregularly,andchecktheweatherreportbeforeleaving

thehouse,Iamalittletooconcernedwithcontrollingwhatcan'tbefullycontrolled.IknowIamdoingthesensible

thing.ButIsometimesthinkthatthemorerecklessamongusmayhavesomethingtoteachtherestofusabout

freedom.Perhapsthereissomethinggoodabouttakingchancesagainstourbetterjudgments.

Isitsometimesbettertotakerisksthantofollowamorereasonablecourseofaction?

2006-6020

Itisraretofindanobjectiveandindependentviewpointonstyle,literature,politics,oranyothermatter.Manypeople's

opinionsareformedthroughtheirassociationswithothers.Itisournaturetoconform;conformityisaforcethatfew

cansuccessfullyresist.Wegiveintothehumaninstincttogoalongwiththecrowdandtohaveitsapproval.

Dowetendtoaccepttheopinionsofothersinsteadofdevelopingourownindependentideas?

2006-10021

Whilesomepeoplepromotecompetitionastheonlywaytoachievesuccess,othersemphasizethepowerof

cooperation.Intenserivalryatworkorplayorengagingincompetitioninvolvingideasorskillsmayindeeddrive

peopleeithertoavoidfailureortoachieveimportantvictories.Inacomplexworld,however,cooperationismuch

morelikelytoproducesignificant,lastingaccomplishments.

Dopeopleachievemoresuccessbycooperationthanbycompetition?

2006-10022

Sometimesitisnecessarytochallengewhatpeopleinauthorityclaimtobetrue.Althoughsomerespectfbrauthorityis,

nodoubt,necessaryinorderforanygroupororganizationtofunction,questioningthepeopleincharge-evenifthey

areexpertsorleadersintheirfields-makesusbetterthinkers.Itforcesallconcernedtodefendoldideasanddecisions

andtoconsidernewones.Sometimesitcanevencorrectolderrorsinthoughtandputanendtowrongactions.

Isitimportanttoquestiontheideasanddecisionsofpeopleinpositionsofauthority?

2006-10023

Wedon'treallylearnanythingproperlyuntilthereisaproblem,untilwemakeamistake,untilsomethingfailstogoas

wehadhoped.Wheneverythingisworkingwell,withnoproblemsorfailures,whatincentivedowehavetotry

somethingnew?Weareonlymotivatedtolearnwhenweexperiencedifficulties.

Doestruelearningonlyoccurwhenweexperiencedifficulties?

2006-10024

Therearetwokindsofpretending.Thereisthebadkind,aswhenapersonfalselypromisestobeyourfriend.Butthere

isalsoagoodkind,wherethepretenseeventuallyturnsintotherealthing.Forexample,whenyouarenotfeeling

particularlyfriendly,thebestthingyoucando,veryoften,istoactinafriendlymanner.Inafewminutes,youmay

reallybefeelingfriendlier.

Candeception-pretendingthatsomethingistruewhenitisnot—sometimeshavegoodresults?

2006-11025Itiswrongtothinkofourselvesasindispensable.Wewouldlovetothinkthatourcontributionsare

essential,butwearemistakenifwethinkthatanyonepersonhasmadetheworldwhatitistoday.Thecontributionsof

individualpeopleareseldomasimportantorasnecessaryaswethinktheyare.

Doweputtoomuchvalueontheideasoractionsofindividualpeople?

2006-11026

Manypeopledenythatstoriesaboutcharactersandeventsthatarenotrealcanteachusaboutourselvesoraboutthe

worldaroundus.Theyclaimthatliteraturedoesnotofferusworthwhileinformationabouttherealworld.These

peoplearguethatthefeelingsandideaswegainfrombooksandstoriesobstruct,ratherthancontributeto,clear

thought.

Canbooksandstoriesaboutcharactersandeventsthatarenotrealteachusanythinguseful?

2006-11027

“Nooneisperfect."Therearefewamonguswhowoulddisagreewiththisfamiliarstatement.Certainthatperfectionis

animpossiblegoal,manypeoplewillinglyacceptflawsandshortcomingsinthemselvesandothers.Yetsuchbehavior

leadstofailure.Peoplecanonlysucceediftheytrytoachieveperfectionineverythingtheydo.

Canpeopleachievesuccessonlyiftheyaimtobeperfect?

2006-11028

Everybodyhassomechoice.Peoplearealwaysblamingtheircircumstancesforwhattheyare.Idon*tbelievein

circumstances.Thepeoplewhogetoninthisworldarethepeoplewhogetupandlookforthecircumstancestheywant

and,iftheycantfindthem,makethem.

Dosuccessandhappinessdependonthechoicespeoplemakeratherthanonfactorsbeyondtheircontrol?

2006-12029

Inordertobethemostproductiveandsuccessfulpeoplethatwearecapableofbeing,wemustbewillingtoignorethe

opinionsofothers.Itisonlywhenwearecompletelyindifferenttoothers'opinionsofus-whenwearenotconcerned

abouthowothersthinkofus—thatwecanachieveourmostimportantgoals.

Arepeoplemorelikelytobeproductiveandsuccessfulwhentheyignoretheopinionsofothers?

2006-12030

Inmanycircumstances,optimism——theexpectationthatone'sideasandplanswillalwaysturnoutforthebest—is

unwarranted.Inthesesituationswhatisneededisnotanupbeatviewbutarealisticone.Therearetimeswhenpeople

needtotakeatough-mindedviewofthepossibilitiesofsuccess,giveup,andinvesttheirenergieselsewhererather

thanfindreasonstocontinuetopursuetheoriginalprojectoridea.

Isitbetterforpeopletoberealisticoroptimistic?

2006-12031

Itiseasytomakejudgmentsaboutpeopleandtheiractionswhenwedonotknowanythingabouttheircircumstances

orwhatmotivatedthemtotakethoseactions.Butweshouldlookbeyondaperson'sactions.Whenpeopledothings

thatweconsideroutrageous,inconsiderate,orharmful,weshouldtrytounderstandwhytheyactedastheydid.

Isitimportanttotrytounderstandpeople'smotivationsbeforejudgingtheiractions?

2006-12032AbrahamLincolnsaid,"Mostpeopleareaboutashappyastheymakeuptheirmindstobe."Inother

words,ourpersonallevelofsatisfactionisentirelywithinourcontrol.Otherwise,whywouldthesameexperience

disappointonepersonbutdelightanother?Happinessisnotanaccidentbutachoice.

Ishappinesssomethingoverwhichpeoplehavenocontrol,orcanpeoplechoosetobehappy?

2007-1033

Manypeoplebelievethatourgovernmentshoulddomoretosolveourproblems.Afterall,howcanoneindividual

createmorejobsormakeroadssaferorimprovetheschoolsorhelptoprovideanyoftheotherbenefitsthatwehave

cometoenjoy?Andyetexpectingthatthegovernment-ratherthanindividuals—shouldalwayscomeupwiththe

solutionstosociety'sillsmayhavemadeuslessself-reliant,underminingourindependenceandself-sufficiency.

Shouldpeopletakemoreresponsibilityforsolvingproblemsthataffecttheircommunitiesorthenationingeneral?

2007-1034

Mosthumanbeingsspendtheirlivesdoingworktheyhateandworkthattheworlddoesnotneed.Itisofprime

importancethatyoulearnearlywhatyouwanttodoandwhetherornottheworldneedsthisservice.Thereturnfrom

yourworkmustbethesatisfactionthatworkbringsyouandtheworld'sneedofthatwork.Incomeisnotmoney,itis

satisfaction;itiscreation;itisbeauty.

Isitmoreimportanttodoworkthatonefindsfulfillingorworkthatpayswell?

2007-1035Theeducationpeoplereceivedoesnotoccurprimarilyinschool.Youngpeopleareformedbytheir

experienceswithparents,teachers,peers,andevenstrangersonthestreet,andbythesportsteamstheyplayfor,the

shoppingmallstheyfrequent,thesongstheyhear,andtheshowstheywatch.Schools,whilecertainlyimportant,

constituteonlyarelativelysmallpartofeducation.

Iseducationprimarilytheresultofinfluencesotherthanschool?

2007-1036

Ifwearedissatisfiedwithourcircumstances,wethinkaboutchangingthem.Butthemostimportantandeffective

changes—inourattitude——hardlyoccurtous.Inotherwords,weshouldworrynotabouthowtoaltertheworldaround

usforthebetterbutabouthowtochangeourselvesinordertofitintothatworld.

Isitbettertochangeone*sattitudethantochangeone'scircumstances?

2007-3037

Fromthetimepeopleareveryyoung,theyareurgedtogetalongwithothers,totryto"fitin.HIndeed,peopleareoften

rewardedforbeingagreeableandobedient.Butthisapproachismisguidedbecauseitpromotesuniformityinsteadof

encouragingpeopletobeuniqueanddifferent.Differencesamongpeoplegiveeachofusgreaterperspectiveandallow

ustomakebetterjudgments.

Isitmorevaluableforpeopletofitinthantobeuniqueanddifferent?

2007-3038Itiseasytoimaginethateventsandexperiencesinourliveswillbeperfect,butnomatterhowgood

somethingturnsouttobe,itcanneverliveuptoourexpectations.Realitynevermatchesourimaginations.Forthat

reason,weshouldmakesureourplansandgoalsaremodestandattainable.Wearemuchbetteroffwhenreality

surpassesourexpectationsandsomethingturnsoutbetterthanwethoughtitwould.

Isitbesttohavelowexpectationsandtosetgoalswearesureofachieving?

2007-3039Everyeventhasconsequencesthatarepotentiallybeneficial.Wemaynotalwaysbehappyaboutan

experience,butweshouldatleastgaininsomewayfromit.Forexample,theworldwidegasolineshortageintheearly

1970'screatedmanyhardshipsbutinspiredeffortstoconserveenergy.Whetherthegainsarelargeorsmall,thereis

somethingpositiveorusefulforusineverythingthathappenstous.

Dowereallybenefitfromeveryeventorexperienceinsomeway?

2007-5040Materialism:it'sthethingthateverybodylovestohate.Fewaspectsofmodernlifehavebeenmore

criticizedthanmaterialism.Butlet*sfaceit:materialism——acquiringpossessionsandspendingmoney-isavitalsource

ofmeaningandhappinessinourtime.Peoplemaycriticizemodernsocietyforbeingtoomaterialistic,butthefact

remainsthatmostofusspendmostofourenergyproducingandconsumingmoreandmorestuff.

Shouldmodernsocietybecriticizedforbeingmaterialistic?

2007-5041

Knowledgeispower.Inagriculture,medicine,andindustry,forexample,knowledgehasliberatedusfromhunger,

disease,andtediouslabor.Today,however,ourknowledgehasbecomesopowerfulthatitisbeyondourcontrol.We

knowhowtodomanythings,butwedonotknowwhere,when,orevenwhetherthisknow-howshouldbeused.

Canknowledgebeaburdenratherthanabenefit?

2007-5042Wedonottakethetimetodeterminerightfromwrong.Reflectingonthedifferencebetweenrightand

wrongishardwork.Itissomucheasiertofollowthecrowd,goingalongwithwhatispopularratherthanriskingthe

disapprovalofothersbyvoicinganobjectionofanykind.

Isitalwaysbesttodetermineone'sownviewsofrightandwrong,orcanwebenefitfromfollowingthecrowd?

2007-5043

Itisoftenthecasethatrevealingthecompletetruthmaybringtrouble-discomfort,embarrassment,sadness,oreven

harm—tooneselfortoanotherperson.Inthesecircumstances,itisbetternottoexpressourrealthoughtsandfeelings.

Whetherornotweshouldtellthetruth,therefore,dependsonthecircumstances.

Docircumstancesdeterminewhetherornotweshouldtellthetruth?

2007-6044

Peoplearehappyonlywhentheyhavetheirmindsfixedonsomegoalotherthantheirownhappiness.Happiness

comeswhenpeoplefocusinsteadonthehappinessofothers,ontheimprovementofhumanity,onsomecourseof

actionthatisfollowednotasameanstoanythingelsebutasanendinitself.Aimingatsomethingotherthantheirown

happiness,theyfindhappinessalongtheway.Theonlywaytobehappyistopursuesomegoalexternaltoyourown

happiness.

Arepeoplemorelikelytobehappyiftheyfbcusongoalsotherthantheirownhappiness?

2007-6045

Heroesmayseemold-fashionedtoday.Manypeoplearecynicalandseemtoenjoydiscreditingrolemodelsmorethan

creatingnewonesorcherishingthosetheyalreadyhave.Somepeople,moreover,objecttotheveryideaofheroes,

arguingthatweshouldnotexaltindividualswho,afterall,areonlyfleshandblood,justliketherestofus.Butwe

desperatelyneedheroes—toteachus,tocaptivateusthroughtheirwordsanddeeds,toinspireustogreatness.

Isthereavalueincelebratingcertainindividualsasheroes?

2007-6046

Theadvancementsthathavebeenmadeoverthepasthundredyearsormorearetoonumeroustocount.Buthasthere

beenprogress?Somepeoplewouldsaythatthevastnumberofadvancementstellsuswehavemadeprogress.Others,

however,disagree,sayingthatmoreisnotnecessarilybetterandthatrealprogress—inpolitics,literature,thearts,

scienceandtechnology,oranyotherfield—canbeachievedonlywhenanadvancementtrulyimprovesthequalityof

ourlives.

Havemodernadvancementstrulyimprovedthequalityofpeople'slives?

2007-6047

Itisnottruethatprosperityisbetterforpeoplethanadversity.Whenpeoplearethrivingandcontent,theyseldomfeel

theneedtolookforwaystoimprovethemselvesortheirsituation.Hardship,ontheotherhand,forcespeopleto

closelyexamine—andpossiblychange—theirownlivesandeventhelivesofothers.Misfortuneratherthanprosperity

helpspeopletogainagreaterunderstandingofthemselvesandtheworldaroundthem.

Dopeopletrulybenefitfromhardshipandmisfortune?

2007-10048

Apersondoesnotsimply"receive'1hisorheridentity.Identityismuchmorethanthenameorfeaturesoneisbomwith.

Trueidentityissomethingpeoplemustcreateforthemselvesbymakingchoicesthataresignificantandthatrequirea

courageouscommitmentinthefaceofchallenges.Identitymeanshavingideasandvaluesthatonelivesby.

Isidentitysomethingpeoplearebornwithorgiven,orisitsomethingpeoplecreateforthemselves?

2007-10049

Wevalueuniquenessandoriginality,butitseemsthateverywhereweturn,wearesurroundedbyideasandthingsthat

arecopiesorevencopiesofcopies.Writers,artists,andmusiciansseeknewideasforpaintings,books,songs,and

movies,butmanysadlyrealize,"It'sbeendone.*1Thesameistrueforscientists,scholars,andbusinesspeople.

Everyonewantstocreatesomethingnew,butatbestwecanhopeonlytorepeatorimitatewhathasalreadybeendone.

Canpeopleeverbetrulyoriginal?

2007-10050

Allpeoplewhohaveachievedgreatnessinsomethingknewwhattheyexcelledat.Thesepeopleidentifiedtheskills

thatmadethemspecial一goodjudgment,orcourage,oraspecialartisticorliterarytalent一andfocusedondeveloping

theseskills.Yetmostpeopleachievesuperiorityinnothingbecausetheyfailtoidentifyanddeveloptheirgreatest

attribute.

Dopeopleachievegreatnessonlybyfindingoutwhattheyareespeciallygoodatanddevelopingthatattributeabove

allelse?

2007-10051

Havingmanyadmirersisonewaytobecomeacelebrity,butitisnotthewaytobecomeahero.Heroesareself-made.

Yetinourdailylivesweseenodifferencebetween“celebrities"and"heroes.'1Forthisreason,wedepriveourselvesof

realrolemcxiels.Weshouldadmireheroes—peoplewhoarefamousbecausetheyaregreat-butnot

celebrities—peoplewhosimplyseemgreatbecausetheyarefamous.

Shouldweadmireheroesbutnotcelebrities?

2007-11052

Peopletodayhavesomanychoices.Forinstance,thirtyyearsagomosttelevisionviewerscouldchoosefromonlya

fewchannels;todaytherearemorethanahundredchannelsavailable.Andchoicesdonotjustaboundwhenitcomes

tothemedia.Peoplehavemoreoptionsinalmosteveryareaoflife.Withsomuchtochoosefrom,howcanwenotbe

happy?

Doeshavingalargenumberofoptionstochoosefrommakepeoplehappy?

2007-11053

Weareoftenurgedtosolveproblemsbyignoringtraditionalapproachesandbyfindingsolutionsthatareinnovativeor

unconventional.Weareencouragedtobecreativeandtotrustthatanewwayofthinkingwillyieldnewinsights.But

innovationmaybeimpracticalandunnecessary.Thebestwaysoffixingproblemsareoftenthetried-and-trueways.

Isitalwaysnecessarytofindnewsolutionstoproblems?

2007-11054

Manypeopleconsiderthearts—literature,music,painting,andothercreativeactivities—unnecessarybecausethey

provideuswithnothingmorethanentertainment.Yettheartsareextremelyvaluablebecausetheyhavemuchtoteach

usabouttheworldaroundusandalsobecausetheyhelppeoplefindmeaninginlife.

Isthemainvalueoftheartstoteachusabouttheworldaroundus?

2007-11055

Allpeoplejudgeorcriticizetheideasandactionsofothers.Attimes,thesecriticismshurtorembarrassthepeople

receivingthem.Othercriticismsseemtobeintendedtomakethecriticsappearsuperior.Andyetcriticismisessential

tooursuccessasindividualsandasasociety.

Iscriticism-judgingorfindingfaultwiththeideasandactionsofothers-essentialforpersonalwell-beingandsocial

progress?

2007-12056

Thefirstproblemforallofusisnottolearnbuttounlearn.Weholdontoideasthatwereacceptedinthepast,andwe

areafraidtogivethemup.Preconceptionsaboutwhatisrightorwrong,trueorfalse,goodorbadareembeddedso

deeplyinourthinkingthatwehonestlymaynotknowthattheyarethere.Whetherit*swomen'sroleinsocietyorthe

roleofourcountryintheworld,theoldassumptionsjustdon'tworkanymore.

Dopeopleneedto''unlearn,"orreject,manyoftheirassumptionsandideas?

2007-12057

Ourdetemiinationtopursuetruthbysettingupafightbetweentwosidesleadsustobelievethateveryissuehastwo

sides—nomore,noless.Ifweknowbothsidesofanissue,alloftherelevantinformationwillemerge,andthebest

casewillbemadeforeachside.Butthisprocessdoesnotalwaysleadtothetruth.Oftenthetruthissomewhereinthe

complexmiddle,nottheoversimplifiedextremes.

Shouldpeoplechooseoneoftwoopposingsidesofanissue,oristhetruthusuallyfound"inthemiddle"?

2007-12058

Allaroundusappearancesaremistakenfbrreality.Cleveradvertisementscreatefavorableimpressionsbutsaylittleor

nothingabouttheproductstheypromote.Instores,colorfulpackagesareoftenbetterthantheircontents.Inthemedia,

howcertainentertainers,politicians,andotherpublicfiguresappearismoreimportantthantheirabilities.Alltoooften,

whatwethinkweseebecomesfarmoreimportantthanwhatreallyis.

Doimagesandimpressionshavetoomuchofaneffectonpeople?

2007-12059

Untilfairlyrecently,technologicalinnovationsandinventionswereintendedtoservebasichumanneedsordesires.

Today,however,themostimportantandurgentproblemconfrontingusisnolongerthesatisfactionofbasicneeds.The

primarypurposeofmoderntechnologyistosolvetheunintendedproblemscausedbythetechnologyofyearspast.

Isthemostimportantpurposeoftechnologytodaydifferentfromwhatitwasinthepast?

2008-1060

Itisbettertotrytobeoriginalthantomerelyimitateothers.Peopleshouldalwaystrytosay,write,think,orcreate

somethingnew.Thereislittlevalueinmerelyrepeatingwhathasbeendonebefore.Peoplewhomerelycopyorusethe

ideasandinventionsofothers,nomatterhowsuccessfultheymaybe,haveneverachievedanythingsignificant.

Isitalwaysbettertobeoriginalthantoimitateorusetheideasofothers?

2008-1061

Oftenweseepeoplewhopersistintryingtoachieveaparticulargoal,evenwhenalltheevidenceindicatesthatthey

willbeunlikelytoachieveit.Whentheysucceed,weconsiderthemcourageousforhavingovercomeimpossible

obstacles.Butwhentheyfail,wethinkofthemasheadstrong,foolhardy,andbentonself-destruction.Tomanypeople,

greateffortisonlyworthwhilewhenitresultsinsuccess.

Istheeffortinvolvedinpursuinganygoalvaluable,evenifthegoalisnotreached?

2008-1062

Newnesshasbecomeourobsession.Noveltyismoreinterestingtousthancontinuin