The Pool of Issue Topics 

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Present your perspective on the issue below, using relevant reasons and/or examples to support your views. 

"People often look for similarities, even between very different things, and even when it is unhelpful or harmful to do so. Instead, a thing should be considered on its own terms; we should avoid the tendency to compare it to something else." 

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"People are mistaken when they assume that the problems they confront are more complex and challenging than the problems faced by their predecessors. This illusion is eventually dispelled with increased knowledge and experience." 

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"The best way to teach---whether as an educator, employer, or parent---is to praise positive actions and ignore negative ones." 

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" 'Moderation in all things' is ill-considered advice. Rather, one should say, 'Moderation in most things,' since many areas of human concern require or at least profit from intense focus." 

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"Although innovations such as video, computers, and the Internet seem to offer schools improved methods for instructing students, these technologies all too often distract from real learning." 

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"Most people prefer restrictions and regulations to absolute freedom of choice, even though they might deny such a preference." 

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"Most people are taught that loyalty is a virtue. But loyalty---whether to one's friends, to one's school or place of employment, or to any institution---is all too often a destructive rather than a positive force." 

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"Conformity almost always leads to a deadening of individual creativity and energy." 

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"Much of the information that people assume is 'factual' actually turns out to be inaccurate. Thus, any piece of information referred to as a 'fact' should be mistrusted since it may well be proven false in the future." 

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"The true value of a civilization is reflected in its artistic creations rather than in its scientific accomplishments." 

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"We can usually learn much more from people whose views we share than from people whose views contradict our own."; disagreement can cause stress and inhibit learning." 

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"No field of study can advance significantly unless outsiders bring their knowledge and experience to that field of study." 

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"A nation should require all its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college rather than allow schools in different parts of the nation to determine which academic courses to offer." 

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"The video camera provides such an accurate and convincing record of contemporary life that it has become a more important form of documentation than written records." 

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"It is often necessary, even desirable, for political leaders to withhold information from the public." 

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"Governments must ensure that their major cities receive the financial support they need in order to thrive, because it is primarily in cities that a nation's cultural traditions are preserved and generated. 
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"All nations should help support the development of a global university designed to engage students in the process of solving the world's most persistent social problems." 

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"Many of the world's lesser-known languages are being lost as fewer and fewer people speak them. The governments of countries in which these languages are spoken should act to prevent such languages from becoming extinct." 

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"Although many people think that the luxuries and conveniences of contemporary life are entirely harmless, they in fact, prevent people from developing into truly strong and independent individuals." 

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"Most cultures encourage individuals to sacrifice a large part of their own personalities in order to be like other people. Thus, most people are afraid to think or behave differently because they do not want to be excluded." 

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"There are two types of laws: just and unjust. Every individual in a society has a responsibility to obey just laws and, even more importantly, to disobey and resist unjust laws." 

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"Anyone can make things bigger and more complex. What requires real effort and courage is to move in the opposite direction---in other words, to make things as simple as possible." 

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"Most people would agree that buildings represent a valuable record of any society's past, but controversy arises when old buildings stand on ground that modern planners feel could be better used for modern purposes. In such situations, modern development should be given 
precedence over the preservation of historic buildings so that contemporary needs can be served." 

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"Students should memorize facts only after they have studied the ideas, trends, and concepts that help explain those facts. Students who have learned only facts have learned very little." 

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"Unfortunately, the media tend to highlight what is sensational at the moment. Society would be better served if the media reported or focused more fully on events and trends that will ultimately have the most long-term significance." 

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"Public figures such as actors, politicians, and athletes should expect people to be interested in their private lives. When they seek a public role, they should expect that they will lose at least some of their privacy." 

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"The primary goal of technological advancement should be to increase people's efficiency so that everyone has more leisure time." 

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"Money spent on research is almost always a good investment, even when the results of that research are controversial." 

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"Creating an appealing image has become more important in contemporary society than is the reality or truth behind that image." 

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"Most of the people we consider heroic today were, in fact, very ordinary people who happened to be in the right place at the right time." 

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"The greatness of individuals can be decided only by those who live after them, not by their contemporaries." 

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"In the age of television, reading books is not as important as it once was. People can learn as much by watching television as they can by reading books." 

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"Scholars and researchers should not be concerned with whether their work makes a contribution to the larger society. It is more important that they pursue their individual interests, however unusual or idiosyncratic those interests may seem." 

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"Such nonmainstream areas of inquiry as astrology, fortune-telling, and psychic and paranormal pursuits play a vital role in society by satisfying human needs that are not addressed by mainstream science." 

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"To be an effective leader, a public official must maintain the highest ethical and moral standards." 

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"While some leaders in government, sports, industry, and other areas attribute their success to a well-developed sense of competition, a society can better prepare its young people for leadership by instilling in them a sense of cooperation." 

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"Society does not place enough emphasis on the intellect---that is, on reasoning and other cognitive skills." 

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"The study of history places too much emphasis on individuals. The most significant events and trends in history were made possible not by the famous few, but by groups of people whose identities have long been forgotten." 

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"Imaginative works such as novels, plays, films, fairy tales, and legends present a more accurate and meaningful picture of human experience than do factual accounts. Because the creators of fiction shape and focus reality rather than report on it literally, their creations have a more lasting significance." 

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"In order to improve the quality of instruction at the college and university level, all faculty should be required to spend time working outside the academic world in professions relevant to the courses they teach." 

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"In any academic area or professional field, it is just as important to recognize the limits of our knowledge and understanding as it is to acquire new facts and information." 

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"The concept of 'individual responsibility' is a necessary fiction. Although societies must hold individuals accountable for their own actions, people's behavior is largely determined by forces not of their own making." 

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"Universities should require every student to take a variety of courses outside the student's field of study because acquiring knowledge of various academic disciplines is the best way to become truly educated." 

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"People work more productively in teams than individually. Teamwork requires cooperation, which motivates people much more than individual competition does." 

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"Colleges and universities should offer more courses on popular music, film, advertising, and television because contemporary culture has much greater relevance for students than do arts and literature of the past." 

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"A person's own habits and attitudes often limit that person's freedom more than do restrictions imposed by others." 

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"In any realm of life---whether academic, social, business, or political---the only way to succeed is to take a practical, rather than an idealistic, point of view. Pragmatic behavior guarantees survival, whereas idealistic views tend to be superceded by simpler, more immediate options." 

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

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"It is primarily through formal education that a culture tries to perpetuate the ideas it favors and discredit the ideas it fears." 

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"In many countries it is now possible to turn on the television and view government at work. Watching these proceedings can help people understand the issues that affect their lives. The more kinds of government proceedings---trials, debates, meetings, etc.---that are televised, the more society will benefit." 

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"The purpose of many advertisements is to make consumers want to buy a product so that they will 'be like' the person in the ad. This practice is effective because it not only sells products but also helps people feel better about themselves." 

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"When we concern ourselves with the study of history, we become storytellers. Because we can never know the past directly but must construct it by interpreting evidence, exploring history is more of a creative enterprise than it is an objective pursuit. All historians 
are storytellers." 

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"Some educational systems emphasize the development of students' capacity for reasoning and logical thinking, but students would benefit more from an education that also taught them to explore their own emotions." 

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"It is primarily through our identification with social groups that we define ourselves." 

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"Humanity has made little real progress over the past century or so. Technological innovations have taken place, but the overall condition of humanity is no better. War, violence, and poverty are still with us. Technology cannot change the condition of humanity." 

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"It is through the use of logic and of precise, careful measurement that we become aware of our progress. Without such tools, we have no reference points to indicate how far we have advanced or retreated." 

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"With the growth of global networks in such areas as economics and communication, there is no doubt that every aspect of society---including education, politics, the arts, and the 
sciences---will benefit greatly from international influences." 

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"When research priorities are being set for science, education, or any other area, the most important question to consider is: How many people's lives will be improved if the results are successful?" 

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"So much is new and complex today that looking back for an understanding of the past provides little guidance for living in the present." 

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"At various times in the geological past, many species have become extinct as a result of natural, rather than human, processes. Thus, there is no justification for society to make extraordinary efforts, especially at a great cost in money and jobs, to save endangered 
species." 

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"Facts are stubborn things. They cannot be altered by our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions." 

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"It is often asserted that the purpose of education is to free the mind and the spirit. In reality, however, formal education tends to restrain our minds and spirits rather than set them free." 

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"How children are socialized today determines the destiny of society. Unfortunately, we have not yet learned how to raise children who can help bring about a better society." 

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"The arts (painting, music, literature, etc.) reveal the otherwise hidden ideas and impulses of a society." 

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"The absence of choice is a circumstance that is very, very rare." 

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"Only through mistakes can there be discovery or progress." 

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"What society has thought to be its greatest social, political, and individual achievements have often resulted in the greatest discontent." 

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"Contemporary art (painting, music, literature, etc.) is absent from the lives of most people, since it is primarily created only for the enjoyment of other artists. Art should instead be created purely for popular understanding and appreciation." 

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"Most people recognize the benefits of individuality, but the fact is that personal economic success requires conformity." 

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"The well-being of a society is enhanced when many of its people question authority." 

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"It is the artist, not the critic,* who gives society something of lasting value." 

*a person who evaluates works of art, such as novels, films, music, paintings, etc. 

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"People who are the most deeply committed to an idea or policy are the most critical of it." 

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"Tradition and modernization are incompatible. One must choose between them." 

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"Because of television and worldwide computer connections, people can now become familiar with a great many places that they have never visited. As a result, tourism will soon become obsolete." 

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"High-speed electronic communications media, such as electronic mail and television, tend to prevent meaningful and thoughtful communication." 

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"No amount of information can eliminate prejudice because prejudice is rooted in emotion, not reason." 

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"The only responsibility of corporate executives, provided they stay within the law, is to make as much money as possible for their companies." 

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"Students should bring a certain skepticism to whatever they study. They should question what they are taught instead of accepting it passively." 

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"Both parents and communities must be involved in the local schools. Education is too important to leave solely to a group of professional educators." 

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"There is no such thing as purely objective observation. All observation is subjective; it is always guided by the observer's expectations or desires." 

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"The human mind will always be superior to machines because machines are only tools of human minds." 

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"The most essential quality of an effective leader is the ability to remain consistently committed to particular principles and objectives. Any leader who is quickly and easily influenced by shifts in popular opinion will accomplish little." 

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"In this age of intensive media coverage, it is no longer possible for a society to regard any woman or man as a hero. The reputation of anyone who is subjected to media scrutiny will eventually be diminished." 

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"Sometimes imagination is a more valuable asset than experience. People who lack experience are free to imagine what is possible and thus can approach a task without constraints of established habits and attitudes."

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"In any given field, the leading voices come from people who are motivated not by conviction but by the desire to present opinions and ideas that differ from those held by the majority." 

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"It is impossible for an effective political leader to tell the truth all the time. Complete honesty is not a useful virtue for a politician. " 
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"What is called human nature is really a reflection of the human condition: if all people had a reasonable share of territory and resources, such products of 'human nature' as war and crime would become extremely rare." 

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"Critical judgment of work in any given field has little value unless it comes from someone who is an expert in that field." 

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"Those who treat politics and morality as though they were separate realms fail to understand either the one or the other." 

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"Great advances in knowledge necessarily involve the rejection of authority." 

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"The surest indicator of a great nation is not the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists, but the general welfare of all its people." 

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"International relations can never be completely harmonious because many cultures do not share the same values." 

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"People who pursue their own intellectual interests for purely personal reasons are more likely to benefit the rest of the world than are people who try to act for the public good." 

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"Originality does not mean thinking something that was never thought before; it means putting old ideas together in new ways." 

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"Laws should not be stationary and fixed. Instead, they should be flexible enough to take account of various circumstances, times, and places." 

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"It is always an individual who is the impetus for innovation; the details may be worked out by a team, but true innovation results from the enterprise and unique perception of an individual." 

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"The function of science is to reassure; the purpose of art is to upset. Therein lies the value of each." 

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"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." 

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"Many problems of modern society cannot be solved by laws and the legal system because moral behavior cannot be legislated." 

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"The way students and scholars interpret the materials they work with in their academic fields is more a matter of personality than of training. Different interpretations come about when people with different personalities look at exactly the same objects, facts, data, or events and see different things." 

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"We live under the illusion that we know what we want, when actually we merely want what we are supposed to want." 

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"As we acquire more knowledge, things do not become more comprehensible, but more complex and more mysterious." 

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"It is a grave mistake to theorize before one has data." 

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"Scandals---whether in politics, academia, or other areas---can be useful. They focus our attention on problems in ways that no speaker or reformer ever could." 

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"Practicality is now our great idol, which all powers and talents must serve. Anything that is not obviously practical has little value in today's world." 

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"It is easy to welcome innovation and accept new ideas. What most people find difficult, however, is accepting the way these new ideas are put into practice." 

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"Success, whether academic or professional, involves an ability to survive in a new environment and--, eventually, --to change it." 

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"The function of art is not to keep pace with science and technology but rather to provide an escape from these forces." 

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"As long as people in a society are hungry or out of work or lack the basic skills needed to survive, the use of public resources to support the arts is inappropriate---and, perhaps, even cruel---when one considers all the potential uses of such money." 

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"The goal of politics should not be the pursuit of an ideal, but rather the search for common ground and reasonable consensus." 

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"Technology creates more problems than it solves, and may threaten or damage the quality of life." 

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"The material progress and well-being of one country are necessarily connected to the material progress and well-being of all other 
countries." 

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"The purpose of education should be to provide students with a value system, a standard, a set of ideas---not to prepare them for a specific job." 

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"The best way to understand the character of a society is to examine the character of the men and women that the society chooses as its heroes or its heroines." 

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"Rituals and ceremonies help define a culture. Without them, societies or groups of people have a diminished sense of who they are." 

"The way people look, dress, and act reveals their attitudes and interests. You can tell much about a society's ideas and values by observing the appearance and behavior of its people." 

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"Progress is best made through discussion among people who have contrasting points of view." 

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"Most people choose a career on the basis of such pragmatic considerations as the needs of the economy, the relative ease of finding a job, and the salary they can expect to make. Hardly anyone is free to choose a career based on his or her natural talents or interest in a particular kind of work." 

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"If a goal is worthy, then any means taken to attain it is justifiable. "

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"Society should identify those children who have special talents and abilities and begin training them at an early age so that they can eventually excel in their areas of ability. Otherwise, these talents are likely to remain undeveloped." 

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"Too much time, money, and energy are spent developing new and more elaborate technology. Society should instead focus on maximizing the use of existing technology for the immediate benefit of its citizens." 

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"Most important discoveries or creations are accidental: it is usually while seeking the answer to one question that we come across the answer to another." 

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"In order for any work of art---whether film, literature, sculpture, or a song---to have merit, it must be understandable to most people." 

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"The chief benefit of the study of history is to break down the illusion that people in one period of time are significantly different from people who lived at any other time in history." 

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"Imprisonment for violent crimes should be made as unpleasant as possible in order to deter potential offenders from committing such crimes." 

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