You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic:
People who have original ideas are of much greater value to society than those who are simply able to copy the ideas of others well.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
You should write at least 250 words.
Model Answer 1:
People are born with different abilities and talents. Some being unique and some are common to all. Sometimes those with unique talents come up with ideas that are completely new, creative and astonishing. However, there lingers this question “Are they greater than us? “.
In my honest opinion, every single human being should be treated and valued the same. No single person is greater than another. From the start of the human race to the present, no society was made by one man. It has always being a combined and a collective effort of everyone.
Sir Isaac Newton, the great physicist was someone who revolutionised the field of physics. Every single individual respects and acknowledges him for his achievements and contribution to the human race. But does that mean only people of his stature are needed in the society? I say NO. Ideas of Newton have been taken by other individuals to come up with wonders that even Newton could not have imagined of. The Space Shuttles, Aircraft, Architectures, Construction, Sports are all based on ideas of another person. The computer was a machine that was created by an individual. However, this idea was copied by others to build things which are even greater. From simple electronics like calculators to marvels such as supercomputers, Artificial Intelligence, Robots.
As a conclusion, like Ying and Yang, a society co-exists with the talents and ideas of all people combined.No individual is of much greater value than another. The day society starts considering that people with original ideas are of much greater value, will be the downfall of that society.
(Approximately270words)
(Answer prepared by – Inam Imthiyaz.)
Model Answer 2:
I certainly agree that people who come up with new ideas; in other words those who ‘invent’ or ‘discover’ things are terribly important to society as a whole. However, I also think there is a role in society for good imitators.
No one would deny that key individuals must be thanked for providing us with certain facilities that we use every day. Where, would we be, for example, without basic items such as the washing machine, the television and, more recently, the computer? These items are now used so regularly that we tend to take them for granted. Throughout the history, the inventors and scientist have invented things those have become out part of life and those inventions have up surged the human civilisation. There are many heavenly scientists whose single theory has changed the whole world. Those inventors are the leader of the whole mankind.
In fact, the society we live in today has become increasingly consumer-oriented, and while it may be possible to constantly update and improve consumer goods, not everyone where I live can afford the prices of these innovations. Furthermore, not everyone lives in an area that has accessibility to the latest models on the market. For this reason, there is a value to be placed on being able to provide good copies of expensive items. Again many scientists have given many theory and others have implemented it. So this implementation has a great value too. There are lots of evidence that the main invention was very little useful while the developer later made it possible to alter the main device for a better use. So we should not and can’t deny the hard work done by those who copy the idea and develop it for better output.
Having said that, certain innovations have a more serious impact on our lives than consumer goods and cannot easily be replicated. Vital medicines like penicillin and vaccines against dangerous diseases also exist because people made continual efforts to develop them. Scientific ideas such as these enable us to live longer and escape illness.
(Approximately345words)
(This model answer has been prepared by the site developer. However, please note that this is just one example out of many possible answers.)
Model Answer 3:
It is believed that people who have genuine ideas bring more benefits to the communities rather than those who duplicate the thought of other people. To a certain extent, I would agree that having pure and original ideas have a higher value than to copy the works of other people. But from the copying activities, other people have developed the work to become more effective and useful.
On the one hand, it is true that the public should respect those who have genuine and original ideas. These people have sacrificed and spent a lot of their time for thinking, studying and doing some research, in order to get new ideas or inventions. And many of the results bring a lot of benefits for the human kind. One of the examples would be Thomas Alva Edison, who had spent most of his time in experimenting so many things. He had tried for almost 1000 times before he invented the bulb light. Therefore, it is believed that people should appreciate their hard work, the eagerness and the sacrifice these people had been through, in order to get the innovative ideas.
On the other hand, there are groups of people who copy ideas from other people. Although some people might disrespect this kind of act, but certain people have developed the ideas into something greater than the original ones. For example, it is undeniable that during the 1950’s, Japanese car producers were copying the designs of the American and Europeans car manufacturers. But instead of copying the ideas, the Japanese conducted some extensive development programs. As a result, the Japanese could make a more efficient car than the European and American, such as the Toyota Prius which used the hybrid technology.
In conclusion, I would agree that some innovative and creative thinkers and inverters should be fully appreciated for their original concepts, as they bring so many positive aspects to the society. But, sometimes the copying activities could not be judged as a negative thing since there are other people who could copy the ideas and then developed it well.
(Approximately348words)
[ by – Darwin Lesmana ]
Model Answer 4:
People who have original ideas are of much greater value to society than those who are simply able to copy the idea of others well. Agree or disagree?
In the history of humankind, people have been attempting to facilitate numerous leaps and bounds in their life by sharing their idea to each other. In this regard, societies highly appreciate those who provide their original opinions while those who emulate others idea considered less valuable. From my point of view, this is open to debate.
The first justification that supports those copying others instructions is that they realised any pros and cons of the dilemma that might occur and the outcome is almost obvious for all. In addition, it is noteworthy that people prefer to put forward those opinions which have tested several times. Taking teachers as an example, they have an inclination to mimic the skills that precedence ones applied in the educational system to transfer knowledge to students, so it is unfair if we underestimate their efforts.
Despite those points mentioned above in favour of emulators, an overt advantage of having creative people in a society is novel solutions for some problems which will appear. An innovative person is admirable in each country due to the fact that he/she has a power of thinking quickly and making an appropriate decision. Furthermore, these people are considered as intelligent and bear dynamism either in the work ambience and their family. Therefore, on the ground of these positive elements, they are much more admirable.
To summarise, although emulating others idea is considered boring and under value, we should not overlook the side of the fact that it has several valuable experiences behind itself. However, I believe that innovative people are much more worthwhile.
(Approximately290words)
[ by – Sanaz Soleymani ]
Model Answer 5:
Society respects both types of people because inventing itself does not add value to the mankind but implementing and improvising on original ideas are equally important. At the same time, innovators should be credited as they are the ones that triggered minds of others.
It is good to copy ideas of others if someone adding value to original thought. For example, Right brothers invented flying machines couple of generations ago. Several engineers, scientists and researchers improved this idea and made flying safer and accessible to wide range of people. Had this not happened, today we had to travel for months to reach from one corner of the globe to other. If we consider examples of healthcare, lots of improvements have been done over the past ages to original ideas to save lives of people effectively and efficiently. We can find this pattern not only in these industries but in almost all luxuries and comforts we have today. Original ideas laid the foundation for modern innovations of today. So, society respects both categories of people.
On the contrary, original ideas should be credited because without their ideas things would not have been how they are today. For instance, telecommunications industry developed rapidly in last decade. Without the invention of smartphones today, communications would have been dull and difficult. In this ever improving world, new ideas will be developed by organisations and individuals and well recognised by the society. There have been awards and prizes like Nobel Prize that are globally recognised and helped to reach ideas masses and impact day-to-day lives of people throughout our world.
To summarise, societies have been recognising both original innovators and the ones who improved original ideas. Without continued efforts of both, lifestyle stagnates.
(Approximately285words)
[ by – Sandeep Rayapudi ]
Model Answer 6:
“An idea can change your life”, this famous advertisement tagline points towards a debatable topic; whether an original idea is more important to the society or a copy of the idea.
In the world, if the product has a monopoly then it might be difficult for mass to enjoy the advantages of it. In such cases, a competition could help to keep the prices grounded. For example, Apple had launched an iPad to enjoy music which was very expensive due to its unique features. However, when the other companies launched similar products and that could be one of the reasons for the reduction of the pad prices.
The original is always considered as a masterpiece and the copied versions are called extensions of it. That is why ‘Taj Mahal’ is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and ‘Bibi Ka Makbara’ which is a copy of it is known by local people only. Nevertheless, few ideas have to be original only and should not be experimented extensively for the safety of the planet. For instance, when scientists found nuclear power, they might have thought about its positive sides like cheaper energy. However, during the copy of this idea, some destructive mindset people might have changed it completely and developed nuclear weapons. Another example could be a sword. Our ancestors invented it to kill animals and feed the families. Unfortunately, over a period of time, its real use was forgotten and humans started using it to kill other humans in the wars.
I believe the original idea whose intention is to make human life better should not be copied by those people whose intention is just to make money even if it is in the price of human life.
(Approximately291words)
[ by – Naaz ]
Model Answer 7:
The world is shaped by the ideas of few people who played the role of pioneer in the society. Their ideas contributed greatly to the enhancement of social, economic and political conditions across the globe. It is agreed that such people who contribute to the world with their thoughts are valuable legends of the society. This apparent when we see how such ideas help in social reforms and technological innovations.
The society is continuously improving and aligning to the needs of new generations. Sometimes, this requires a social reformation idea of some great people who have an extraordinary vision for the future of the society and nations. Leaders like Margret Thatcher, Nelson Mandela and Abraham Lincoln had such an extraordinary vision to change the society. For example, the idea of non-violence agitation of a single person helped India to achieve independence in 1947. Even though the real power of such ideas are manifested when the mass follow it, it is the original thoughts that bring in the change in society.
Technological innovations often changed the way we live in this world by bringing in more efficiency and comfort. Such innovations are great ideas of fewer people and later copied by the rest of the world. For instance, Wright brothers, who invented the first airplane; Thomas Edison, who invented the electricity, have moved the world to the next level. The whole humanity is benefited from such people’s idea and their contributions to the society are exponential compared to those who use these ideas.
In conclusion, it is a known fact that an idea can change the world, and the people who innovate such an idea are invaluable to the society. Nevertheless, the people who copy their ideas and concepts indeed help the society to realise their benefits and thus contribute to the society as well.
(Approximately304words)
[ by – Sanoon ]