The value of 'useless': Harvard professor on history and humanity
•He was 16 years old in 1965 – and wanted to make his country better.So he did the most "useless" useful thing there was – he studied the thought of a civilization half a world away.Half a century late...
•Bol says the real question isn't about history's relevance today.
•Humanity has been through great change before.
هذا الخبر من CGTN EN. خبر يقدم أدوات ذكاء اصطناعي للتلخيص والترجمة والاستماع.
المصدر: CGTN EN | Source: CGTN ENHe was 16 years old in 1965 – and wanted to make his country better.
So he did the most "useless" useful thing there was – he studied the thought of a civilization half a world away.
Half a century later, Peter K. Bol says the real question isn't about history's relevance today. Humanity has been through great change before. The question is: how does social change reflect on the way the individual sees the world and lives in the world. And this is where "the Chinese past gives us enormous numbers of possibilities."
Executive producer: Zhang Jingwen
Producer: Yang Sha
Directors: Zhong Xia, Zhang Yuying
Video editors: Zhong Xia, Zhang Yuying
Videographers: Gao Zhihong, Leng Junpeng
Cover photo: Huang Ruiqi, Du Chenxin
ملاحظة تحريرية | Editorial Note: نُشر هذا المقال في الأصل بواسطة CGTN EN. خبر (Khabr) هي منصة إعلامية أردنية مرخّصة تعمل بالذكاء الاصطناعي. نضيف قيمة تحريرية من خلال: تحليل ذكي للأخبار، ملخصات تلقائية، رواية صوتية بالذكاء الاصطناعي، ترجمة متعددة اللغات، وتدقيق الحقائق. هدفنا جعل الأخبار أكثر وضوحاً وسهولةً للقارئ العربي.
This article was originally published by CGTN EN. Khabr is a licensed Jordanian AI-powered news platform (Registration #82086). We add editorial value through: AI-powered news analysis, automated summaries, AI audio narration, multi-language translation (Arabic, English, French, Turkish), and AI fact-checking. Our mission is to make news more accessible and understandable for Arabic-speaking audiences worldwide.
