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发表于 2010-2-15 15:56:04
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TOPIC: ISSUE17 - "There are two types of laws: just and unjust. Every individual in a society has a responsibility to obey just laws and, even more importantly, to disobey and resist unjust laws."
WORDS: 459 TIME: 00:45:00 DATE: 2010-2-15 15:22:50
One primary principle of a law is justice. However, such justice for some people may be injustice for others, from different points of view. Therefore, laws can not be simply divided into just ones and unjust ones. Laws are established social contracts recognized by the majority - those in power, and are basic vechils for the operation of a society. Every citizen has a responsibility to obey laws, just or unjust, from it's own perspective. The minorities whoes interests are not represented by laws have the rights to express their beliefs and to request for revisions and abolishment of such laws.
Considering the examples of abortion. For young women who themselves suffer severe problems such as basic living, unemployment, and health, it's just to be permitted the right of abortion. Yet, from a contrast view, for the aborted babies, they are deprived of all human rights since they have no change to live in this colorful world. Another example is population control. From the goverments' perspective, it's a good means to eliminate food shortage, resource exhaust, education problems and unemployment. But parents who are rich enough to raise many children will definitely consider this as unjust. Therefore, it is hard for a law to be just for all people, and it should be established for common goals and common good of the society as a whole.
Further, people are assigned basic rights by laws, so they also have the responsibility to obey laws and to be held accountable for the consequences of their behaviors. For most people, it is obviously to obey just laws. But controversy arises when people are required to obey laws which they considered as unjust. Based on their own beliefs and interets, they think that it is unreasonable to obey such laws since their interets are hurt. However, the consequence of breaking laws are significant, both to individuals and to the society. Individuals who disobey laws are trailed and punished as crimials, and the interests of other people may be affected by crimes. Socrates, when asked by his students about laws, said that, "I obey laws, even they are not reasonable for me". Socrates' view was actually based on the following belief: laws are foundations for the operation of a society, breaking such foundations will lead to unstability of a society, which will cause severe problems on people, including those who break the laws.
In summary, justice of laws usually reprensents interests of the majority. At the same time, interests of minority should not ignored and also should be expressed in laws. Laws should be obeyed, even been recognized as unjust by some people, but they should also be revised and abolished, if applicable. The improvement in the justis of laws needs every individual's participation. |
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