（老题库36）
个人的伟大是由后来人评判，不是由同时代的人来评判。
1. An individual's contemporaries may be emotionally connected with him or her.
2. It takes time for the significance of an individual's deeds to be recognized.
3. Admittedly, there are still plenty of cases in which people's greatness were instantaneously recognized and judged objectively by their contemporaries.
时间问题之个人的伟大
"An individual's greatness cannot be judged objectively by his or her contemporaries; the most objective evaluators of a person's greatness are people who belong to a later time"
个体的伟大成就不能由同时代的人来评判；对于成就最可观的评价者是后来人
开头：在人类社会发展的过程中，几乎所有的人都对整个社会的发展发挥的或多或少的影响。一些人的行为或者作品不光能够在当时的社会发挥影响，而且对现代文明的性能同样也有一定甚至是深远的影响，而另一些人虽然在当时几乎没有为社会或者社群做出任何贡献，但却在之后的社会发展中发挥着巨大的推动作用。换句话说，任何人的行为都具备短期效应和长期效应，相比于那些同代者，后来者能够更加清晰的认识到他们是否伟大。
1． 不可否认，相当多数的人在当时的社会发挥着重要的作用。这一点对于政治家来说尤为明显，多数作为国家领导者的政治家都能够在当时的社会产生一定的影响无论这种影响是坏还是好。比如一个国家的总统，不光决定了这个国家一段时间的发展情况，同时也会对世界其他国家的情况产生或多或少的影响
2． 相比之下，后人能够更加客观和准确的从历史的角度判断前人对社会的影响。首先，相比于同时代的人来说，后人不会受到媒体和当时舆论的影响，因此能够更客观地看待前人的功过。其次，后人能够通过研究和了解社会发展的历史知道前人当时的行为是否对其后的社会发展产生了影响，这在同时代人看来是不可能的。比如，多数当时不出名但现在珍贵而且伟大的艺术作品都是后人发现的。
3． 对于个人是否伟大的判断是一个持续的过程，时间越久，也就越容易看出个人的伟大程度。有的个人的作品和行为会被一度认为是对社会发展有害，而最后又被纠正为有益，这些不同判断的产生都是由于后人在判断前人的时候忽视了当时的历史环境以及其他条件的限制造成的。因此，几乎没有什么东西比是将更能检验一个人的伟大程度
总之，时间能够检验一切，包括一个人的伟大程度。后人能够比同时代的人更清晰的认识前人的伟大，只是因为他们拥有比同时代的人更多的时间用来检验。
范文：
Can a person's greatness be recognized only in retrospect, by those who live after the person, as the speaker maintains? In my view the speaker unfairly generalizes. In some areas, especially the arts, greatness is often recognizable in its nascent stages. However, in other areas, particularly the physical sciences, greatness must be tested over time before it can be confirmed. In still other areas, such as business, the incubation period for greatness varies from case to case.
We do not require a rear-view mirror to recognize artistic greatness--whether in music, visual arts, or literature. The reason for this is simple: art can be judged at face value.There's nothing to be later proved or disproved, affirmed or discredited, or even improved upon or refined by further knowledge or newer technology. History is replete with examples of artistic greatness immediately recognized, then later confm-ned. Through his patronage, the Pope recognized Michelangelo's artistic greatness, while the monarchs of Europe immediately recognized Mozart's greatness by granting him their most generous commissions. Mark Twain became a best-selling author and household name even during his lifetime. And the leaders of the modernist school of architecture marveled even as Frank Lloyd Wright was elevating their notions about architecture to new aesthetic heights.
By contrast, in the sciences it is difficult to identify greatness without the benefit of historical perspective. Any scientific theory might be disproved tomorrow, thereby demoting the theorist's contribution to the status of historical footnote. Or the theory might withstand centuries of rigorous scientific scrutiny. In any event, a theory may or may not serve as a springboard for later advances in theoretical science. A current example involves the ultimate significance of two opposing theories of physics: wave theory and quantum theory. Some theorists now claim that a new so-called "string" theory reconciles the two opposing theories--at least mathematically. Yet "strings" have yet to be confirmed empirically. Only time will tell whether string theory indeed provides the unifying laws that all matter in the universe obeys. In short, the significance of contributions made by theoretical scientists cannot be judged by their contemporaries--only by scientists who follow them.
In the realm of business, in some cases great achievement is recognizable immediately, while in other cases it is not. Consider on the one hand Henry Ford's assembly-line approach to manufacturing affordable cars for the masses. Even Ford could not have predicted the impact his innovations would have on the American economy and on the modern world. On the other hand, by any measure, Microsoft's Bill Gates has made an even greater contribution than Ford; after all, Gates is largely responsible for lifting American technology out of the doldrums during the 1970s to restore America to the status of economic powerhouse and technological leader of the world. And this contribution is readily recognizable now--as it is happening. Of course, the DOS and Windows operating systems, and even Gates' monopoly, might eventually become historical relics. Yet his greatness is already secured.
In sum, the speaker overlooks many great individuals, particularly in the arts and in business, whose achievements were broadly recognized as great even during their own time. Nevertheless, other great achievements, especially scientific ones, cannot be confirmed as such without the benefit of historical perspective.
Orignal From: The greatness of individuals can be decided only by those who live after them, not by their contemporaries
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