issue 99 model essay

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Issue 99/11


People's behavior is largely determined by forces not of their own making.

11) Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.

99) Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position.

这道题应该是比较难写的。首先behavior这个概念太大，必须具体化才好处理。另外，这个问题本身很深，涉及到人有没有自由这类哲学问题。我选了两个稍微好写的角度来讨论：一个是人作为工业化生产的一部分，实际上不是控制机器而是被机器控制。其实生产线工人固然如此，即便是都市白领不也得按照既定程序日复一日的工作么？另外，众所周知，消费主义横行的今日，我们很多时候被欲望所操控，广告、信用卡等制度影响我们买了很多本来不需要的东西。当然，我也不想太过悲观，于是在第三段写了一些可能的出路。

其实这个问题还是很值得我们思考的，究竟我们有没有可能获得真正意义的自由。可以探讨的方方面面实在很多，这篇只是在有限的篇幅内初略的谈到两点。

To what extent people could control their own behaviors is an interesting question that concerns many psychologists, economists, philosophers. The question is important because we all desire freedom but at the same time are subject to different constraints. In my opinion, due to the industrialization of modern society, our behaviours have been largely determined by different social institutions such as corporation and marketing. While some people may discount the analysis as too pessimistic, I believe that we may try to regain our freedom by fighting the systems in which we find ourselves.

One of the key features of modern society is industrialization through which the production of goods and provision of services are all standardized and to a large extent automated by machines. The assembly line approach to manufacturing, for example, requires all the workers to perform the same tasks on machines repeatedly. The behaviors of the workers are largely determined by the pace of the machines set by the engineers. Office workers also have to perform tasks following a set of prescribed instructions repeatedly. While doing so can certainly increase the productivity and reduce errors, there is little room for them to make their own decisions about their behaviors.


At the receiving end of the goods and services are customers who seem to enjoy the freedom of making their own choices with their own money. But it is well known that consumer behaviors are actually subject to the manipulation of corporations as well through different marketing strategies. Celebrities are often invited to endorse different products and services so that ordinary people believe that buying such products and services will help them to identify more closely with their idols. Discounts are often offered and extra credit points can be earned when credit cards are used to make certain purchases because researches have shown that more money can be spent painlessly when credit cards rather than banknotes are used.Numerous strategies like these have been employed by corporations to lure more customers to buy things we do not really need and to spend money we have not yet earned.
Some people may challenge the analysis above and point out that this point of view is too pessimistic. Of course, it is not true that our behaviors are completely under the control of large corporations although most of us do have to be part of the labor force and customer base of the large corporations. The hope lies on our continuous efforts to fight the system.  Nowadays many people have become aware of the intrusive effects of being part of the capitalistic economy largely driven by irrational consumerism. Environmentalists have advocated living a simple life in order to break away from the traps created by large corporations trying to sell things we do not need. Experts in personal finance have offered prudent advice about using credit cards less and spending money within one’s budgets.More and more people have come to understand the importance of work-life balance and even plan to retire early to enjoy life. As more efforts are made to fight against the system of capitalism and consumerism, we still have a chance to regain our freedom.

In conclusion, in the modern society dominated by large corporations, ordinary people’s behaviors as employees and consumers are indeed largely determined by factors that beyond our control. Nevertheless, we can still try to fight for our freedom as we learn more about how our behaviors have been influenced by external forces.



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