Issue212 (401words) 西门吹东风小组笨鱼笨鱼第7次作业

笨鱼笨鱼UID: 2289591

Issue212

If a goal is worthy, then any means taken to attain it is justifiable. 如果一个目标是值得的，那么追求目标的任何手段都是正当的。

Outline:

Thesis: Only in the condition that a goal has been decided to be really worthy, any means taken to attain it is justifiable.

B1: The important and indispensable criteria to judge the worthiness of a goal must be confirmed, or else the worthiness of the goal will not probably be just and fair, let alone tell the justification of means taken to attain the goal.

B2: Generally speaking, a worthy goal should satisfy the justice benefits of people, not the evil benefits of individuals.

B3: When a goal has been decided to be really worthy, any means taken to attain it is justifiable, although in the process the benefits of some persons may likely be damaged.

Conclusion: Only a goal to cover the justice benefits of people is worthy, and any means taken to attain a worthy goal is justifiable.


The statement above asserts that any means taken to achieve a worthy goal is justifiable. However, the assertion fails to clearly tell us the criterion to judge the goal whether worthy or not. In fact, only in the condition that a goal has been decided to be really worthy, any means taken to attain it is justifiable.

To begin with, the important and indispensable criteria to judge the worthiness of a goal must be confirmed, or else the worthiness of the goal will not probably be just and fair, let alone tell the justification of means taken to attain the goal. Because of the different position and interests that people hold, the same goal may probably be worthy to some persons, and be unworthy to others. For instance, the CEO of a firm may think it worthy and reasonable to carry out the low-price strategy to penetrate the main target market, though such a decision will probably bring a short-term, such as half a year, profit loss to the firm. Meanwhile, stockholders of the firm may perhaps violently reject the price project, because the low-price plan will directly have a negative impact on their bonus, which will inevitably reduce their revenue.

Generally speaking, a worthy goal should satisfy the justice benefits of people, not the evil benefits of individuals. If a hungry thief, for example, has no money to buy food, he may regards it worthy to try his best to steal breakfast and butter from a supermarket. In reality, however, such a goal or plan is obviously illegal and of no worthiness. Instead, that a hungry guy does his endeavor to find an hour job so as to obtain the food is worthy for him indeed.

Finally, when a goal has been decided to be really worthy, any means taken to attain it is justifiable, although in the process the benefits of some persons may likely be damaged. A striking example can illustrate this. In the Second World War, America dropped two atomic bombs over Japan to succeed in forcing Japan to surrender, which availably facilitated to end the war. Though many Japanese citizens were severely injured by the bombs, more people of other countries that were cruelly invaded by Japan had been successfully emancipated.

In sum, only a goal to cover the justice benefits of people is worthy, and any means taken to attain a worthy goal is justifiable.

[ 本帖最后由 lastangel 于 2007-2-26 21:48 编辑 ]

笨鱼笨鱼UID: 2289591

The statement above asserts that any means taken to achieve a worthy goal is justifiable. In my opinion, however, the
assertion is fundamentally unreasonable in only emphasizing the significance of results and completely ignoring the possibly
negative consequences that processes may result in.

To begin with, whether a goal is worthy or not is more of a subjective issue that differs according to personal interests,
social class, as well as one's personal value system. For example, for the crazy and enthusiastic fans of Madonna Ciccone, it
is absolutely worthy to wait for two hours in the heavy rain just for a slight possibility to see the famous female singer,
while for other common people without any interests in popular music, such actions are entirely unimaginable and irrational.
Besides diverges generated due to personal value system, different, or even opposite, personal interests may also result in
divarication. For instance, certain kind of law has been enacted to strictly prohibit factories from emitting toxic effluents
into rivers for the well-being of local residents. In the eye of common populace, reducing water pollution is definitely a
worthy goal, which is considerate to ensure the public interests and will availably improve the quality of life for everyone.
Nevertheless, as for the manager of a factory, prohibition in sewage emitting to reduce water pollution, which causes
curtailing employees, increases manufacturing costs and adopts related costly processing procedures, is ultimately worthy.

In terms of the means to achieve a worthy goal, some people, the author included, suggest that as long as the goal is worthy,
any means taken to attain it is justified. Obviously, an in-depth review would reveal the naivety and vulnerability of the
suggestion. As a matter of fact, justifying any means to realize a worthy goal may probably justify all types of illegal
behaviors at the same time, for the same reason that there may not be a definite division between a worthy goal and an
unworthy one. For instance, a hungry person without no money would possibly steal food from supermarket, which, in his visual
angle, is justifiable because he really needs those food to survive, but such an action is evidently illegal. Therefore, it
is obvious that almost every sort of illegal action could find a well established excuse if any means taken to attain a
worthy goal is regarded justifiable.

Furthermore, achieving a worthy goal that ensuring and protecting the interests of certain group of people more often than
not means that the interests of other group of persons will inevitably be harmed. In the Second World War, for instance,
America decidedly dropped two atomic bombs over Japan to succeed in forcing it to surrender, which definitively facilitated
to end the world war and emancipate millions of people of many other countries that were being cruelly invaded by Japan,
whereas a large amount of innocent Japanese citizens were killed and severely injured by the bombs. Hence, any means taken to
attain a worthy objective should be carefully and seriously considered so as to reduce the possible loss and damage
generating in the process as few as possible.

In summary, from all the discussions above, it is safely concluded that the author's statement is essentially irrational in
that it fails to point out the potential harm accompanying the means to attain a worthy aim.