Human History & Ancient Culture

Some people think that human history has been a journey from ignorance to
knowledge. Others argue that this underestimates the achievements of ancient
cultures, and overvalues our achievements. Discuss both the views and give
your opinion.

It is widely believed that mankind has gradually emerged from a state of lack of knowledge or unawareness of self to an era of wisdom and enlightenment, while a few others consider that such a notion would undermine the accomplishments of our forefathers and is tantamount to giving undue importance to the present developments. Both these views will be examined and I propose to explain why I support the former view.

On the one hand, according to some people, our ancestors were no less inferior to us, the modern man. They were as intelligent and capable as us and that was why the wonders of the world such as the Pyramids of Egypt and the Great Wall of China were made possible. That is, our ancient forefathers excelled in many areas of human activity such as art, literature, philosophy and even in science in the olden days. Therefore, according to these people, by stating that mankind has developed from a state of ignorance to the era of development and civilization, we are ignoring the past achievements and giving overemphasis to the present attainments.

On the other hand, I, with many others, believe that human history is a gradual course of development from the Dark Ages to an era of wisdom and knowledge. That is, the ancient people led a simple and primitive life, depending on food-gathering and hunting. Later on, the use of metals and techniques of farming were mastered, and it was only with the industrial revolution in Europe that modern machinery and complex tools were invented, with which we enjoy the advanced and sophisticated life of today. Now, we enjoy the modern transportation and communication facilities such as the airways and the Internet, which were beyond the reach and imagination of any earlier generations. Therefore, I believe that human history is a gradual course of progress to the present state.

In conclusion, while considering both the views, I tend to believe that human history is a gradual and slow progress from simple to complex and lower to higher stages of development and this would neither undermine the accomplishments of our ancient forefathers nor place us above them.