issue93 [0710G 戴三个表冲刺小组] 第14次作业

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Issue 93

以前的练习（WORD 504）

"The concept of 'individual responsibility' is a necessary fiction. Although societies must hold individuals accountable for their own actions, people's behavior is largely determined by forces not of their own making."

I agree with the statement insofar as 'individual responsibility' is critical to the stability and harmony of a society, which serve to guarantee the right and interest of majority society members to the greatest degree. However, I strongly disagree with the further assertion that people's behavior is not determined by their own but by the force. This assertion is indefensible from both an empirical and normative standpoint.

Admittedly, societies must hold individuals accountable for their own actions, no matter as to children or adults. We can not image what a society will be look like if some members are not required to responsible for his/her behavior. There should be two cases: the first one, just a few people enjoy this privilege, they can do anything at their will, a country ruled by a dictator or a dictator party may fall into this category. Thus it is highly unlikely a nation violate the basic democracy can build a desirable society; In the second case, every society members need not responsible for their actions, there are totally no restriction and no laws, even the basic regulations and rules seems superabundant. What kind of society is it? It is not a human society at all, not to mention a desirable healthy society. Calling it an animal group will be objective though may be less polite. We certainly do not want to be among this two kind of society, the second one is even reluctant to be called a society, or to shepherd our friends into their flock. Only by embracing the concept of individual responsibility can a democratic, healthy and harmonious society work well.

As for the speaker's ultimate claim, I concede that people's behavior should follow certain regulation and some of their behavior will be greatly affected by the circumstance, not completely determined by their own. I nevertheless do not think people's behavior is largely determined by force. In our daily life we may always complaint that we are being forced to do this, to do that by the outer forces, these forces come from competition of work, the pressure of family expense, education or children care. But what decision to be made is still up to us, just comparatively there will be ideal choice or less good choice, we are always engaging ourselves in seeking the most ideal choice. Frank, a man made great achievement with extraordinary courage of conviction while being jailed for many years after wrongly sentenced, once said even in the most terrible circumstance, people do have the last choice--you can choose your attitude.

In sum, living in the society, one need fully understand the concept of 'individual responsibility'. People's behavior will also greatly affected by circumstance but not determined by these forces. In a democratic healthy society, we are free to determine our behaviors within the regulation.