The speaker of this opinion piece claims that knowing more about the past cannot help a person to make important decisions today. While technology has certainly made the world more complicated, it also makes it possible to process vast amounts of information and knowledge. The advent of personal computing, the internet, and countless other technologies allows individuals to access vast amounts of information, often in mere seconds. With the ability to access this information, people can make informed decisions based on the past

The past, of course, contains a wealth of information about the world. However, that information is complicated by a number of factors. For example, war, natural disasters, and disease have all occurred throughout history. Knowing about these events can help a person prepare for them, but it is impossible to know precisely when, where, or how they will occur. Therefore, the decisions made by a person about tomorrow may be affected significantly by events that occurred in the past, but they will not be able to predict the future

The modern world has also seen many changes. For example, the Industrial Revolution and the rise of cities and their populations have changed the face of the earth. In the transition from a pre-industrial to an industrial society, people faced many challenges. Working conditions in factories and mills were dangerous. The population increased rapidly, and many people had to move from their homes into overcrowded cities. In addition, there was a great need for clean water. Farmers used animal dung to create fertilizer, but this waste collected in ponds and rivers, leading to outbreaks of disease. As people adapted to changing conditions, however, they developed new technologies and ideas. Today, huge corporations supply clean water to millions of people. The existence of cities allows more people to commute, allowing them to work where they live. Also, cities provide sanitation, which eliminates disease in vast numbers

The speaker is correct that the world today is more complex than in the past. However, she ignores an important point: people have evolved to deal with these challenges. Human beings have a remarkable ability to learn and adapt. Along with the technological advances that have helped people to deal with the challenges of the modern world, we also learn from the past. For example, engineers, scientists, and other experts study examples of past disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, and fires, to design buildings that can better withstand earthquakes and floods. Knowledge of the past is useful if individuals understand the potential consequences of their actions. For example, people rarely, if ever, move back into collapsed buildings, because doing so puts them at risk of injury or death.