<p>Sometimes it is necessary to challenge what people in authority claim to be true. Although some respect for authority is, no doubt, necessary in order for any group or organization to function, questioning the people in charge- even if they are experts or leaders in their fields--make us better thinkers. It forces all concerned to defend old ideas and decisions and to consider new ones. Sometimes it can even correct old errors in thought and put an end to wrong actions.
Is it important to question the ideas and decisions of people in positions of authority? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.</p>
<p>My response for this is</p>
<pre><code> Society cannot progress without it members questioning the status quo. At many points in history, clearly immoral and hypocritical ideas were held to be natural, such as slavery, corrupt religious authorities repressed the advancement of science by labeling questioning as heresy, and punishing all those who did speak out. Without people to question authority, society would not have evolved socially or scientifically.
Even in Ancient Greece, the great philosopher Socrates invented the Socratic method, which dictated that it was the responsibility of citizens to question everything around them. He inspired many future thinkers, but was forced to drink poison due to his increasing influence. The French philosopher Renee Descartes believed the same, and famously said I think, therefore I am., implying that a humans existence is only justified by analysis of their surroundings. His creed inspired the founding fathers of the United States, who realized the injustice of British colonialism only through challenging the authority figures of the time. Until the 20th century, it was commonly thought that the voices of women were of minimal importance, and women were denied suffrage. Only through the work of intelligent women such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who accosted society and pushed for the breaking of tradition, did woman gain suffrage.
The advancement of science has always been about questioning. In the 1500s scientists such as Galileo and Copernicus shattered the then present geocentric theory, and advocated a new heliocentric model that opposed catholic doctrine. Copernicus was willing to even face ostracism and house arrest in order to maintain his beliefs. Darwin faced similar consequences when his theory of Natural selection infuriated 19th century creationists, and in the 20th century, a teacher named John Scopes was willing to go on trial due to his commitment to teaching evolution.
Progress has always been brought about by questioning authority, and the future will be no different.
</code></pre>
<p>Good writing , but for a SAT essay i’d give you a 3 or maybe 4 on 6 .
You have not connected your examples clearly enough to the question given and have not elaborated enough on How the examples show Why it is important to question authority .</p>
<p>Could you score my essay out of 12 as well?
Topic:Can what we value be determined only by what we sacrifice?
I agree with the motion that what we value can be determined only by what we sacrifice. Before I state my arguments, we have to understand that we as a species, tend to look for the easy way out when we are given a task to complete. In other words we are very lazy. This laziness often clouds our justice and causes us to do things we would not have done if there was something on the line. This just goes to prove the fact that we perform better when the stakes are higher. The world we live in consists of undeniable corruption on all levels of its infrastructure. Honest people find it hard to make a living, and in some extreme cases are subject to prosecution just because they did not want the unjust to go around with a broad smile on their faces. In the ensuing paragraphs I will attempt to elaborate on how this phenomena exists in our society by the adept use of personal anecdotes along with instances that have occurred in our society.
Last year, I had to encounter the dreaded Cambridge O’ Level examinations. My father had been a studious young man who had successfully tackled these tests and had proven him self a talented candidate. Now I was being pressurized to follow in his footsteps. My exam was in two weeks time and I had barely started studying. I was far from concerned, and was more interested in the patterns formed by clouds than in my studying. I used to play video games and watch television for most of the day and would talk over the telephone just to waste time. It was then when my father decided to take away all of my luxurious past times (given my test scores). At first I was outraged, I felt uneasy and light headed at the thought of having to study for more than an hour a day. I argued over this incident for two days. When it finally occurred to me that I would not get my entertainment back, I truly began to study. My attention span increased, and in a matter of days my test scores improved. I finally gave my O’ Level exams and was not so surprised to see that I had passed with flying colors. I gave up my entertainment and my social life to study hard for my exams, and in the end I succeeded in maintaining the good name of my father.
Now I will explain how sacrifices are made in our society. Recently, a huge scandal involving the Bank of Scotland was uncovered. It was revealed that three regional managers were proven guilty of stealing and transferring funds from customers. Over a period of two years they had successfully stolen over 1.75% of the bank’s total influx of funds. As heinous a crime as it seems, a lesson is to be learned from it. These thieves were uncovered and publicly revealed by none other than the Bank of Scotland itself, which stated that the only thing that it values as a firm, are the customers. They sacrificed their own good name and lost potential clients, just because they cared about honesty and the thoughts of the customers. They also returned (in full) the sums of money that had been stolen (which put them in loss) to their clients. And although it was predicted that clients would stop funding the bank. Funding and revenue actually increased, because the ordinary citizens saw honesty and morals and continued to fund them.
All in all I believe that I have firmly established the fact that people often sacrifice things for what they value. It is a truth that has to be accepted by our society on all levels.</p>