issue212 用最简单的语言讲清楚观点

chengnicoleUID: 2216897

TOPIC: ISSUE212 - "If a goal is worthy, then any means taken to attain it is justifiable."
WORDS: 491          TIME: 0:45:00          DATE: 2006-7-9

I cannot completely agree with the speaker's oversimplified viewpoint, which seems too extreme to recognize the existence of some negative means to attain the goals that might be meaningful for one but against the interests of others. In my opinion, it should be analyzed on a case-by-case basis to judge if the means taken is justifiable or not.

Either "Worthy" or "Justifiable" in the thesis is a somehow subjective definition in many cases. People consider their own interests, value and moral standards in determining if a goal is worthy and if a means is justifiable. Though there might be some universal principles providing standardized guidance to us, we still have to recognize the complexity of the world and the different, even competing priorities people are holding in each case under various circumstances.

In politics field, the international states competition can best reveal the truth and reality of the issue. Every country is holding their own agenda in global activities, which represents its people's interests for well-being in that country. However, can a country aggress into another in order to expand its own domain for its people's sake? Though the atomic bomb thrown onto Japan in 1945 was representing the justice to end the World War II, it is still unjustifiable from an international human rights point of view, and also from the position of those innocent people killed or hurt in Japan.

In science field, clone might be the most controversial issue in our biotechnology advance. The advocators insist that clone will be created to erase many of the incurable diseases at present while save the lives of the dying and increase the opportunities to maintain the valuable people for our society. Nevertheless, to the opponents, the moral and ethical problems brought by the "astonishing" technology would harm the society so that this means taken to save people's lives will not be justifiable until proper solutions have been found to conquer those side effects.

At personal level, it is even more complicated to measure the value of the goal and the justice of the means. Almost everyone, including the malefactors, will believe his or her own goal is worthy according to individual believe and interests. If any means taken to attain a "worthy" goal is justifiable, we have no reason to beat the crime and punish the criminals, in fact, we cannot define justice in that case. Let's use a simple case to think over the question: an unemployed single mother steals other's money to buy some food for herself so she can nurture her 9-month-old baby. Can we justify her illegal means towards the absolute worthy objective? To better answer this kind of question, our laws, regulations and the legal system are designed to balance the competing interests, to get rid of the unjustifiable actions, in turn, regulate the society.

On balance, there is no simple answer to this issue. We have to analyze the actual case under the light of laws and morals as well as the competing interests of others.

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