The last sentence of the passage ______. A. outlines the scheme for the future and the present B. presents the difficulties in understanding history C. focuses on the perspectives from which past events are interpreted D. emphasizes the influence of history on the present and the future
Although the past has happened and left evidence and memories, difficulties remain. The interpretation of the events can be very different when viewed from different perspectives. Which, if any, is right Some of the most intractable political problems of today, such as those in Northern Ireland, the Middle East and the former Yugoslavia, originate in very different perspectives on history. Perhaps the main contribution that futurists can make to the resolution of these conflicts is to emphasize the existence of, and the need to understand histories, in the plural: that, although there may strictly have been one past, different human perceptions effectively create multiple pasts that are often incompatible. Only by recognizing the significance of these pasts can the varying presents be understood, with a view to achieving a future that will go some way towards meeting the conflicting preferences.