Issue17

jhr_hitUID: 2540810

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: 619          TIME: 00:45:00          DATE: 2009-2-11 21:24:38

How can we justify whether a law is just or unjust? In my observation, it depends on one's value system to a certain degree. Any law must have two aspects-someone find it just while others think it unjust. The fairness of laws is not, or even not possible, to be objective, so the fairness of laws should not justify by an individual in the society, or the law may loss its destination.

As said by Aristotle, the fulfillment of the law-governing should be provided with two factors, one is everyone should obey the law, and the other is that the law which is obeyed should be a good law itself. The saying by Aristotle seems complete, but is not effective in the real-world. However, we can not make a clear definition for a "good law", furthermore, the justness depends on people's beliefs. For example, someone may believe that the permission of abortion, euthanasia, and homosexuality represent a respect to the will and desire for freedom, while others may have the opinion that the permission of abortion is not humane for the reason that it doesn't protect the rights of the baby; the allowance of euthanasia disobey the purport of life; the permission of homosexuality is seriously debase the standards of social conduct. Under this circumstance, we don't know whose views we should believe and in terms of whose right and sense to deny the ideas of other people. Besides, people's cognition of a certain substance may change with the time; they may have an opposite opinion to a certain law in the future.  What should we do now? Shall we disobey the law because we thought we have no obligation to obey it, in other word, the conception of "a good law" may make the law-governing into a dilemma.

The justness or unjustness also depends on people's interest. For example, when we closed a factory because it pollutes the nearby river, the owner of the factory may feel the law unjust, while the residents living along the river may think the law just. In addition, the justness of the law also has something to do with people's religions, nationalities, customers and so on. However, no matter whether the law is just, we should obey it. Just like the soldiers should obey the disciplines and the command of their commanders. Can you imagination soldiers drop out from a war because he believes it is unjust? I think if this is the case, the military will be vulnerable resulting in the defeat of the war. Law is the same, how can you say that you will not obey the law just because you believe it is not just. If the law can not be implemented properly, and someone obeys it, while others don't. Then the law will have no meaning. Moreover, in the democratic society, each law is enact by the legal system and on behalf of the willing of the mass. If one thinks it unjust, it may mean that his/her behavior may undermine the welfare of the mass.

However, everyone who find the law unjust or have some foibles can modify it through the legislation institution and to different regions; the law can be quite different. For example, in America, though the federal law is fixed, laws in different states are not the same, and can be modified according to the situations, places, and times.

To sum up, there is no absolutely just or unjust, the justness of the law depends on people’s interests, beliefs, religions, nationalities and so on, so everyone should obey the existing laws. If they find it unjust they can modify it through the legislation institution, but he/she should not disobey it in any circumstances.

jhr_hitUID: 2540810

TOPIC: ARGUMENT20 - The following appeared in a letter to the editor of the Balmer Island Gazette.

"The population of Balmer Island increases to 100,000 during the summer months. To reduce the number of accidents involving mopeds and pedestrians, the town council of Balmer Island should limit the number of mopeds rented by each of the island's six moped and bicycle rental companies from 50 per day to 30 per day during the summer season. By limiting the number of rentals, the town council is sure to attain the 50 percent reduction in moped accidents that was achieved last year in the neighboring island of Torseau, when Torseau's town council enforced similar limits on moped rentals."
WORDS: 445          TIME: 00:30:00          DATE: 2009-2-11 22:03:36

In this letter, the author recommends that the town council of Balmer Island should limit the number of mopeds rented by each of the island's six moped and bicycle rental companies from 50 per day to 30 per day during the summer season in order to reduce the number of accidents involving mopeds and pedestrians. To support the recommendation the author cites the fact that the neighboring island of Torseau achieved 50 percent reduction in moped accidents because enforced similar limits on moped rentals. However, I find this recommendation logically unconvincing in several respects.

First of all, the author assumes that the moped and bicycle which caused the accidents are rented; however, the author fails to provide any evidence to justify it. Perhaps, these accidents are caused by the one who owned moped or bicycle themselves, since the one who rented them may be more careful when driving them.

The author also assumes that if the town council reduces the rental of the moped and bicycle the accidents may decrease. However, the author cannot justify that it will reduce the moped and bicycle on the road. It is entirely possible that people buy one themselves instead of renting them. It is also possible that the number of the six mopeds and bicycle rented are not more than 30, so the reduction from 50 to 30 will have no effect. Without ruling out this alternatives, the author cannot persuasive me that the moped and bicycle on the road will reduced, not to mention the accidents will decrease.

The author also makes an unfair comparison between Balmer and Torseau, since the weather, the condition of the road and the number of the population in the two towns may be all different from each other. Perhaps the population in Torseau is far less than that of Balmer, so there is few people who use the mopes or bicycles and cause fewer accidents. Or perhaps the reduction of the accidents because the Torseau is suffering a very bad weather or the town is mending his road, so few people are on the road resulting in few accidents. It is also possible that the accidents caused by moped is decrease but the accidents caused by bicycle increased. Without ruling these alternative possibilities, the author cannot convince me that Balmer will get the same result with Torseau.

In sum, to better support the recommendation, the author should raise more support to justify that our rented moped and bicycle is the main reasons for the accidents and by limiting the number of the rentals, it will decrease.

xiaoyaozi5566UID: 2510336

euthanasia目前没有法律明文禁止吧？ homosexuality 法律就更管不着了，是道德上的事...
观点不错，应该是按照新东方那本书上的提纲写的吧，论证地还是不错的。
当然，最后一段论证和前面两段相比有点单薄（看篇幅差异吧...）可能是时间不够了吧~
总体写的挺好的

swbaiUID: 2600532

TOPIC: ARGUMENT20 - The following appeared in a letter to the editor of the Balmer Island Gazette.

"The population of Balmer Island increases to 100,000 during the summer months. To reduce the number of accidents involving mopeds and pedestrians, the town council of Balmer Island should limit the number of mopeds rented by each of the island's six moped and bicycle rental companies from 50 per day to 30 per day during the summer season. By limiting the number of rentals, the town council is sure to attain the 50 percent reduction in moped accidents that was achieved last year in the neighboring island of Torseau, when Torseau's town council enforced similar limits on moped rentals."
WORDS: 445          TIME: 00:30:00          DATE: 2009-2-11 22:03:36

In this letter, the author recommends that the town council of Balmer Island should limit the number of mopeds rented by each of the island's six moped and bicycle rental companies from 50 per day to 30 per day during the summer season in order to reduce the number of accidents involving mopeds and pedestrians. To support the recommendation the author cites the fact that the neighboring island of Torseau achieved 50 percent reduction in moped accidents because enforced similar limits on moped rentals. However, I find this recommendation logically unconvincing in several respects.

First of all, the author assumes that the moped and bicycle which caused the accidents are rented; however, the author fails to provide any evidence to justify it. Perhaps, these accidents are caused by the one who owned moped or bicycle themselves, since the one who rented them may be more careful when driving them.

The author also assumes that if the town council reduces the rental of the moped and bicycle the accidents may decrease. However, the author cannot justify that it will reduce the moped and bicycle on the road. It is entirely possible that people buy one themselves instead of renting them. It is also possible that the number of the six mopeds and bicycle rented are not more than 30, so the reduction from 50 to 30 will have no effect. Without ruling out this alternatives, the author cannot persuasive me that the moped and bicycle on the road will reduced, not to mention the accidents will decrease.

The author also makes an unfair comparison between Balmer and Torseau, since the weather, the condition of the road and the number of the population in the two towns may be all different from each other. Perhaps the population in Torseau is far less than that of Balmer, so there is few people who use the mopes or bicycles and cause fewer accidents. Or perhaps the reduction of the accidents because the Torseau is suffering a very bad weather or the town is mending his road, so few people are on the road resulting in few accidents. It is also possible that the accidents caused by moped is decrease(decreased) but the accidents caused by bicycle is increased. Without ruling these alternative possibilities, the author cannot convince me that Balmer will get the same result with Torseau.

In sum, to better support the recommendation, the author should raise more support to justify that our rented moped and bicycle is the main reasons for the accidents and by limiting the number of the rentals, it will decrease.

第一段重复的内容过多，导致浪费时间，使后面的论证不充分。总结应该更充分些，理由给得多一些