In recent years, museums have drawn greater attention, fulfilling several expectations for different visitors. There has even been a growing debate over the primary purpose of museums, whether they function to entertain or impart a further understanding of history. Both arguments will be analyzed before a conclusion is declared.
On the one hand, proponents of the staple benefit of museums to amuse argue that it can lure more young people. A case in point is Hanoi’s National Vietnamese Museum, which limits descriptive placards and instead provides contemporary costumes and uses life-sized exhibits, enabling visitors to role-play historical moments. Despite being stimulating and favorable for envisioning life at certain periods, museums are inferior to technological appliances and devices, considering that these gadgets are more likely to cater to their users’ needs, including convenience, wide availability, and diverse preferences. Thus, this form of amusement will not be highly appreciated in the foreseeable future. Consequently, the potential merits of this opinion are hard to advocate.
On the other hand, an alternative position argues that the chief purpose of museums is education. Indeed, the exhibitions are no ordinary ones, encompassing cultural relics which are priceless in that they are the witness of history. By heavily placarding exhibits, museums can provide visitors with essential tools to be informed of what is on display, citing the British Museum in London as a pertinent example. Although perhaps not visually captivating, patrons leave this museum with much more profound insights into historical topics and underlying trends that were at work during specific eras, facilitating their outlook on modern-day life and ongoing social issues. Therefore, the heightened benefits of museums that focus on educating are clearly seen.
In conclusion, after looking at these different points of view, I am of the opinion that museums better serve the public as an approach for visitors’ acquisition of knowledge rather than amusement. Thus, I anticipate that museums of the future will be arranged primarily for this purpose.