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本帖最后由 An7hony 于 2009-3-7 13:41 编辑
第一次发贴, 希望大家可以给我点意见. 谢谢!
我看了范文书, 觉得他写得有问题.
我也看了之前的几篇关于政治的范文, 作者的论据和论点几乎是一样的.
我觉得是作者偷懒了.
就这题来说, 大家普遍一上来就来一句”Are politics and morality mutually exclusive?”
Separate 就一定等于 incompatible或者mutually exclusive么? 不见得吧?
Separate 是”和而不同”; mutually exclusive是”水火不容”. 窃以为还是有一定区别的.
我的点从这里入手, 承认两者相互依存, 但是有本质区别, 根本上是独立的.
希望大家一同讨论, 谢谢!!
TOPIC: ISSUE169 - "Those who treat politics and morality as though they were separate realms fail to understand either the one or the other."
WORDS: 551
TIME: 00:45:00
DATE: 2009-3-6 21:14:21
The above statement carries profound connotations of the fundamental purpose and mission of politics and morality and the relationship between the two. While I concede that politics and morality are very often interdependent, I maintain that they are essentially separate, which can be demonstrated through an analysis of their purpose and mission.
To begin with, it is hardly disputable that politics and morality are closely connected and even interdependent on each other for survival. On the one hand, politicians are inclined to package themselves with sugarcoat of morality and use it as a weapon against competitors and dissidents. Think, for example, about the American presidential campaign, during which both Democrats and Republicans launch propaganda that emphasizes on the integrity of themselves and the wickedness of their counterparts. Typically, such slogans as "he is a liar" are used to derogate their competitors. On the other hand, moral and ethical values are largely dependent on politicians to reach the populace. A telling example would be China's government promotion for filial piety - the respect and love for the elderly, which is crucial for the stability for a country with a population of 1.3 billion.
However, a careful scrutiny of politics reveals it to be a realm that serves the interests of both politicians as individuals and the society as a whole. And in contrast, the mission of morality is to direct the society through certain ethical values. For politics, the paramount consideration is given to either the individual interest or the societal interest. One need not look further than Zimbabwe for an example. The president Robert Mugabe has oppressed and detained his dissidents from the opposition party MDC. In a situation like this, where morality is at odds with Mugabe's own interest, morality is secondary.
As for morality, it serves to direct a society with certain ethical values. Consider the example of loyalty. We are taught to be loyal to our friends, out family, our company and our countries ever since our school years. And the virtue has helped established a sense of mutual trust among the members of a certain society. Or consider the example of honesty. Again we are directed by the value to be honest with those around us as well as with ourselves. And honesty has helped constitute the foundation of the smooth operation of business, production and other social activities.
One may argue that since the two are both directed towards the general public and depends on the majority of people for survival, they should be considered as the same domain. However, what fundamentally distinguishes morality from politics is that it is largely neutral and timeless whereas politics demonstrates an ongoing struggle for power that is clearly directed towards the interests of either individuals or the society. Thus, while morality is used by politicians or other institutions to serve the interests of politiicians or serve to make our society better, morality itself is incapable of exploiting politics. And therefore, it would be inappropriate to see the two as the same.
In the final analysis, it cannot be denied that politics and morality are constantly interdependent for survival. However, the relationship does not transform them into the same realm. Through the analysis of their distinctive missions and natures, one would be assured that they are essentially independent domains.
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