針對查詢「Justice」依關聯性排序顯示文章。依日期排序 顯示所有文章
針對查詢「Justice」依關聯性排序顯示文章。依日期排序 顯示所有文章

2012年10月3日 星期三

What's the right thing to do ?

Michael Sandel 的這本《Justice - What's the right thing to do》是其中一本我很喜愛的書, 而書名更是午夜夢, 思考反省時撫心自問的問題.

人生在世, 如果沒有一些對人做事的基本原則, 就會猶如風中落葉, 海上孤帆, 無以立足.

子曰: 「吾十有五, 而志於學. 三十而立, 四十而不惑, 五十而知天命,六十而耳順, 七十而從心所欲, 不逾矩.」 處於三十而立的階段, 在前面的學習和充實自己修養的基礎上, 已經確立自己在為人處事, 對待生活的態度和原則. 這樣到了下一階段, 四十不惑, 用自己的原則在經歷許多的人和事後, 就可以對自己的原則不惑了.

做人的基本原則是: 正直和善良.

在大部分情況下, 大家都是好人. 但生命中經常出現各種考驗. 在《Justice》這本書裡面, Michael Sandel 舉了一個例子: 某天, 朋友為了逃避殺手的追殺, 躲入你的家裡. 殺手從後而至, 敲你的家門, 然後問: 某某人有否經過? 你會如何作答? 如果答「沒有」即是講大話; 如果答「就在我家裡.」那麼你朋友就死定了. 當然大部分人都會想: 「癡線啦, 生死關頭種諗乜哲學問題? 梗系講反話呃鬼佢啦!」 的確, 如果這事突然發生, 就只能隨本能而行. 不過, 檢討兩難問題究竟如何處理正是邁向不惑年齡的準備.

在這兩難的問題上, Michael Sandel是這樣理解康德的哲學: “Telling a misleading truth is better than a deliberate white lie.” 你可以說一些真話, 即使你知道這些真話極有可能會錯誤引導殺手, 這比起直接講一些善意的大話好. 雖然兩者導致的結果看似一樣, 但差別在於出發點不同. 對於說話者本身而言, 前者的道德情操優於後者, 因為他是想盡辦法令自己不會違背原則. 而且, 要講真話又要令朋友不被殺害, 是需要相當的智力和有隨機應變能力才能做到. 例如, 可以說「不知道.」因為事實上, 你確實未必知道你的朋友究竟是在你家的睡房裡還是廁所裡.」

2011年12月29日 星期四

天与地(续)


台湾单车之旅返来后, 继续煲《天与地》. 里面关于吃人的剧情, 除了某些评论说映射六四外, 也令我想起 Michael J. Sandel 在 《Justice》里面举过的例子.

"In the summer of 1884m four English sailors were stranded at sea in a small lifeboat in the south Atlantic....their ship had gone down in a storm, and they had escaped to the lifeboat, with only two cans of preserved turnip and no fresh water....."

大家可以想象到, 这种情况下, 最后就发生了和《天与地》剧情一样吃人事件了.

这衍生出一堆的哲学性问题, 究竟一批crew, 在绝境下杀死了一个人来吃, 判他们有罪是否公义呢? 若从最终结果来看, 不吃人的话, 所有人都要死, 杀一人而救全队人, 是否可接受呢? 我们的道德或者是法律底线, 应该画在那里, 才合适?

除此而外, 《天与地》里面, Ronnie 对吃人这件事失去了记忆. 另外两名朋友, Angus 和鼓佬一面挣扎是否把事情和盘托出. 这也带出了一些哲学问题, 我们是否要为了一些更崇高的理想或者保护某人而讲大话呢?

在 《Justice》一书里面, Michael J. Sandel 讲解了 telling a misleading truth 和 telling a white lie 的区别. 虽然结果上看来, telling a misleading truth 和 telling a white lie 好像没有什么分别, 但从动机上看来, 前者比后者优胜, 因为起码说的人在心底里面有一种需要讲真话的坚持. 

2013年1月19日 星期六

反對完美:科技與人性的正義之戰


昨晚等去一個朋友的音樂show前,有段個多小時的空檔,走入書局,隨手抓起一本薄薄的書打書釘。

選 Michael Sandel 的這本書有幾個巧合的原因:其一,他的另外兩本著作《Justice: What's The Right Thing To Do》和《What Money Can't Buy》都是我非常喜歡的書,有時間絕對會重溫一遍。而且我看過他在 youtube 的教學片段,對這位哈佛哲學系教授很有熟悉感。此外,正好有位朋友昨天在 facebook探討『完美』的問題,而這本《反對完美》很薄,內容簡短,更可能提供了『完美』的答案 (香港教育體制下的學生,似乎終身都在尋找 model answers)。

人類基因改造方面的科技發展,已經令到以下的事情變得可能: 
1. 增強肌肉
2. 增強記憶
3. 增加高度
4. 選擇嬰兒的性別

乍看之下,除了第4個項目會在重男輕女的國家產生爭議外,其他三項好像只是加強人類能力,沒有什麼問題。

但 Micheal Sandel 舉了一個反例引導我們去思考。

在美國,有對聾的同性戀人覺得聾的人生才是完美的人生,聾人的圈子是溫暖而幸福的,所以她們想下一代也是天生的聾人。她們去挑選捐精者的時候,找了一位家族史五代都是聾人的男人,結果得償所願。

在同一時間,美國的高等學府,包括哈佛、常春藤等有個求 『精』廣告,貼在壁報板上,內容大概是:『求精 - 身高180cm,智商150,學分不少於XXX,體格健康.....』

為什麼,在聾人的例子,大家會一面倒覺得不妥,而在美國高等學府的廣告,卻沒有什麼爭議?是因為聾人的價值觀和大家不一樣?是因為挑選基因還存在不確定性因素?如果科技可以完全排除這不確定性因素,是否就可以 go ahead?

讓我們再回顧剛才的1-4項,人類認為自己的科技已經可以代替了『神』的角色,我們將會為此付出什麼樣的代價?

從三方面可以解答這問題:

1. 過度縱容控制的慾望
現今不少家長希望子女『贏在起跑線之上』而對子女作出種種特訓。如果能夠在基因開始就挑選了完美無瑕的人,相信很多家長都會進行這種比拼。但是過往的歷史不代表將來,以往認為最好的基因,說不定會因為一些意料之外的原因而全軍覆沒。

2.遺忘了感恩和謙卑
如果我們以為基因就是一切,我們所得到的全盤是可以控制得了,那麼我們就不會感恩天賜的種種美好,人類會變成傲慢,自以為是。


3. 失去對弱勢社群的憐憫
如果人類認為命運是可以控制的,那麼就會失去同情心。人類的社會是透過合作、互助、友愛來建構的。如果每人都為著要把自己拼到最強,不理其他人死活的話,整個社會體系會土崩瓦解。 這讓我聯想起,中學時代的經濟學裡面的 Absolute Advantage vs Comparative Advantage. 我們只需要有 Comparative Advantage就能產生交易,互補不足,而並非 Absolute Advantage.


這本書後半部份還談到『優生學』的問題,時間關係還未看完就要走,以後有機會再談。

2011年3月5日 星期六

终身学习



最近香港财政师预算案有各方争议, 各党派提出香港社会的民生问题以及解决方法, 令我反思何为社会公义, 究竟那一种的社会制度最能够平衡各阶层的诉求呢?

Youtube 有 Harvard University 提供 professor Michael J. Sandel 关于 "Justice" 的哲学教育课程系列. 

随着网络发展, 在家能知天下事, 只要一有部电脑,  就相等于能够去 Harvard University sit 堂, 吸收新知识. It's fantastic and amazing!

2012年4月19日 星期四

The Hunger Game


I was so absorbed and addicted to 《The Hunger Game》in these two weeks. Once I immersed myself into the story, I was completely shut out from the outside world. 

The writer is very good at depicting the feelings of people and describing the scenes. When you follow through the storyline, you  are actually watching it like a movie playing in your mind. 

Panem (once was North American) consisted of a controlling and affluence Capitol and 13 districts. People in these districts basically worked as slaves to provide resources such as minerals, agricultural products, seafoods etc to the Capitol. 75 years ago, there was a rebellion against the inequalities of the Capitol's governance but failed. The whole district 13 was bombed to ashes. 

In order to gain better control of the people in other districts, Capitol invented the Hunger Game. A girl and a boy were drawn in lottery from each district every year. They were thrown into the arena and fight to death. Only one can survive. 

The Hunger Game was televised to all citizens in Capitol and districts. By seeing the tribes in the games killing each other, the game effectively created horror, distrust, hatred and fear amongst people in districts. As citizens in Capitol were not selected and they were so accustomed to watch it years by years, no one questions about the justice. The government used The Hunger Game as a powerful method to brainwashing its people, making their citizens indifference to the cruelty and stop thinking about humanity. 

However, the Hunger Game has gone out of control and this was the twisting point. There were uprising again and remnants in District 13 led the rebellion. To my surprise, there wasn't any change even District 13 won because those who hold power would do whatever it took to control its people.

The heroine, which was supposed to be a spiritual leader, a rebellion symbol, was just a tool for the politicians and could be dumped whenever she was useless. 
 
This story also makes me rethink the propaganda of zeitgeist movies, and I believe it is totally unworkable.  Zeigeist promoted  "Resource Based Management System" society which could eliminate inequalities. However, the drawback was that whoever mastered the system, gained power. Then a form of dictatorship would arise, just like those in Capitol or District 13 whoever won the war, it would never change. 

2011年6月20日 星期一

Justice - What's the right thing to do


这本书看看停停, 停停看看, 因为有太多地方值得思考. 

何为一个公义的社会? 历史上不少哲学家都提出了他们的对理想社会的看法.  

香港是既是一个功利主义及自由主义的社会, 但由于贫富悬殊越来越厉害, 我们觉得社会不公. 

Michael Sandel 认为透过功利主义或自由主义, 都无法引领人类获取更好的生活. 

功利主义寻求全人类的快乐减去痛苦的最大化. 这表面上很合理, 因为人总是倾向追求快乐而逃避痛苦. 但若然社会要把少数人杀死而成全大部分人的快乐, 这还是不是我们理想的公义社会呢? 如果牺牲一个正常人, 把他的器官分给五个病人, 可以救回五个人, 五>一, 这样是否公义?

自由主义尊重每个人的权利, 人人皆可以在不影响他人的情况下干自己想干的事. 这表面上也很合理. 但再细心去想, 这样的社会系统下, 家和国等观念便难以存在. 现代日本人未经历过战争, 南京大屠杀是上一代的事. 这种主义体制下, 日本人便无须因为他们拥有日本人的身份, 为父辈的劣行道歉或负责.

香港哲学教授李天命也提过类似的观点, 他批评「极端相对主义」的支持者口是心非. 

「极端相对主义」指每个人都可以有他们自己的价值判断, 价值判断没有是非高下之分, 见仁见智, 我们不应该把自己的价值判断加诸别人身上.

李天命认为「极端相对主义」实际上是行不通的. 例如教育小孩要有礼貌, 如果小孩斗嘴说: 「礼貌与否是一种价值判断, 没有高下之分, 我就是不觉得需要礼貌. 」这就很难教导孩子了. 另一个弊端是这句子在逻辑上自我推翻. 「每个人都可以有他们自己的价值判断」本身就是一种价值判断, 所以把这种价值判断说出来便正正是把它加诸在别人身上, 因此是逻辑上的自我推翻.

Michael Sandel认为要建构一个公义的社会, 我们必须思考生命的本质, 究竟怎样才是人类美好的生活? 政府作为引领人民的机构, 是无法在价值判断上维持绝对的中立, 否则便无法教化市民.而人类作为高等灵性的生物, 除了追求肉体上的快乐和自由外, 也应该要培养责任及牺牲等美德.

2013年1月11日 星期五

Les Miserables



I am very fond of this muscial since I was a secondary school student. I love the melody of the songs, the story is fruitful and the confrontation of the main characters Jean Valjean and Javert inspire me about the meaning of justice.

I have been listening to the muscial many many times. I can almost remember every songs and every details of the plot. However, this is the first time, I am so touched and cry in the movie.

The particular plot depicting Fantine who tried very hard to earn a living for her child that makes me cry. She was kicked away by the ill-minded factory foreman. Then, she sold all that she could sold, her beautiful long hair, her healthy and lovely teeth and finally her pride.  

When she sang "I dream a dream" , I felt my heart stop beating. The song "work song" could provoke my anger, this song made my heart melt. 

However, no matter how the world treated these people, so cruel and unfair, each of them met one person who showed sympathy and forgiveness. Only one good person, that could make their lives completely turn around. In the complete darkness of the living, the power of love shines.

That's why the muscial can be so everlasting. It's really worthy to revisit on and off continously in your life time as a reminder of the power of sympathy, forgiveness and love.

2009年2月18日 星期三

Astrology of ME (again)


Source: http://www.astrolis.com/

Scorpio Rising
You emanate a strong emotional or sexual force field that can transform your surroundings, be they personal or even global, to a far better or far worse state. Notable examples: Gandhi, Mussolini, Lenin, Stalin, Thatcher. You base your identity on power and influence, and consequently have to wrestle with the dark side of life and of yourself. Failure to do so creates an unpleasant atmosphere.

This dark side should be exorcised artistically or psychotherapeutically or through sexual love - or a combination of these. You need a stable and resolute mate to balance out this intensity, but as if you are seeing life through X - ray eyes, and indeed you are able to see beneath surface appearances. In addition, or alternatively, you somehow "cloak" your true feelings and identity, as if you had something you'd rather not have seen by others - or yourself for that matter.

All this matches or creates your strong sexual vibration and sense, and gives you the ability to become quite unnoticeable, yet still emanate that intense atmosphere. You like secrecy and all that it involves. As such, you make an excellent confidante for possessing a secret, this far more enjoyable to you than spreading gossip. However, your secrecy could be expressed as keeping your deepest doubts to yourself, with the consequence that no one can really get close to you, which is actually what you desire deep down.

Pluto is your Ruling Planet, which governs the link between your exterior being and your interior being.

Sun in Aquarius
Your essential purpose in life is to view and approach all things in an impartial and humanitarian way. In so doing, you hope and intend to liberate yourself and others from guilt, fear and conditioning. To enable you to accomplish this, you are emotionally detached to one degree or another.

If you like, you choose to not even recognize your own or others' emotional shortcomings - or if you do you shrug them off or distance yourself from them in some way. Being such a cool observer of life inclines you to being a natural psychologist, therapist, scientist - or simply a good friend.

However, this distancing of yourself from awkward emotional areas that reflect your own discomfort can have the effect of divorcing you not only from them, but also from some of your best qualities. Consequently, you stand in danger of being someone who has been processed and packaged by what you think should be you, rather than what actually is you. Others find it very hard to relate to this, then get very emotional, and cause you to do more of the same!

When you eventually immerse yourself in the pool, well or cesspit of your own rejected feelings, you lend a power and conviction to your outward expression that convinces influences - and liberates - both yourself and others. The reason for this is that others, and your emotional self, can then identify with you.

Moon in Libra
Your reigning need is to have a partner, to have people around you, to have definite social position. In order to satisfy this need you have an instinct for what pleases and possess, or acquire, talents for things like cooking, decor, fashion, entertaining or anything that introduces a sense of harmony or togetherness to a situation. Perversely, not trusting this social sense can make you rather anti-social.

Your weakness is that you become so dependent upon life being "nice" and "pleasant" that you find it hard to confront the darker or less attractive parts of your personality. And because you do have grace and charm it is all to easy to maintain a superficial sense of things being all right. It is quite likely that this need to please has its roots in your having felt that you had to please your mother, father or whoever brought you up.

The irony is that your overriding need for a partner ensures that sooner or later you do have to face what it is about yourself that is not at all easy to relate to - either because you have lost a partner or cannot find or keep one. An important advance is made when you have a partner with whom you can rationally discuss your mutual shortcomings without feeling rejected or unattractive - which is basically what you're so sensitive about.

Having confronted this issue, you then discover that your talent for making others, and therefore yourself, feel good is increased a hundredfold because feeling at ease with your own dark spots enables others to feel at ease with theirs. Ease indeed.

Mercury in Pisces

Yours is a sensitive mind that absorbs information rather than consciously learning it. Ideas and solutions seem to "surface" rather than actually being worked out and this process of "metal osmosis" sometimes cause you to be unsure about whether it's your own mind that's doing the thinking. If you're happy to let your mind be a kind of nozzle, which directs the stream of pictures and words that issues from your fertile imagination, then you'll be happy with what you do and say. If, however, you have the notion that you must be in logical control of your thought processes, you become adept at poking at the blind-spots and irrational ideas of others - because they seem to threaten your own concept of metal order. But sooner or later, your imagination will demand its due; that you express your dreams and confront your own doubts in a creative or honest way - otherwise you'll be driven even further, possibly to suppressing them unhealthily with drugs or alcohol, or with an even fiercer rationality.

Venus in Capricorn

You view love and art, and the values concerning them, very much in a traditional light. Unless something or someone is tried and true through the passage of time you're not likely to truest your sentiments, talents or possessions with them. This inflexible dependence that you have upon fidelity, constancy and "work well done" ostensibly makes for your being quite reliable as you give value or money or time spent on you or paid to you.

But your insistence upon trustworthiness can become a blind to your own emotional shortcomings, that is, a distrust based on subjective fear rather than objective conclusion. What can ensue from this is either you or your partner suddenly being very unreliable; or your being without anyone at all; or severe limitations materially as a result of not giving more of yourself to the world; or marrying or being married for money or status rather than love. Track down the cause of any deep distrust and then you and others will be as reliable as you think you and they ought to be.

Mars in Aquarius

You assert yourself best when performing as part of a group, or in the name of some collective goal. Without this you can rather indolent because you cannot find it in yourself to go it alone - and neither do you want to be just another unit in the human mass.

What initially get you going and sets you off on the road to self - confidence is having to rebel against, or break away from, something or someone which is hemming you in. You also like a sexual relationship to have a liberating effect upon you. In fact, you may enjoy sex more as an act of freedom than as an act of love or desire.

Jupiter in Leo

Faith for you depends upon how much you believe in yourself. Ideally, your sheer existence should be a testament to your own worth so you could say that cultivating an enthusiasm for yourself is your key to confidence and growth. There is a danger here of self-importance, but in some ways this is better than being falsely modest or shrewish.

However, as much as your sense of largesses can lead to great displays of generosity and wealth, it can also lead to biting off more than you can chew. Then again, thinking or acting small could find you equally pressured to pull something extra out of the bag. There comes a time for you when the nature of magnanimity has to be expressed - and properly understood.

Saturn in Virgo

You are learning to distinguish between essentials and non-essentials, between what is "good" and what is "bad" for you. Such tests as these can drive you to extremes of self-denial and self-indulgence by way of compensation. At times your conscience is like an altar at which all desires for Earthly pleasures are sacrificed; at other times you busily set about desecrating it.

In order to alleviate this possible confusion as you seesaw between your purist intentions and your more realistic physical and emotional needs, I suggest that you allot definite or equal amount of time and energy to both work and periods spent alone, as well as to pleasure and social activities. Avoid taking yourself to task to an almost masochistic extent when you fall below your standards. At the same time though, it's true that your task is to stick to your guns over matters of health and work.

Uranus in Scorpio

You belong to a generation (born during the mid 1970's to early 1980's) whose intention was to reform attitudes towards sexuality and intimacy, as well as other kinds of hidden power. During this period these elements of life started to reach a critical state, be it the advent of dangerously defiant sexual freedom or nuclear power station blowing up. Mt St Helens, the volcano in Washington State, also blew its top in 1980. Because of all this your generation is basically having to wake up to what power actually is.

Neptune in Sagittarius

You belong to the Neptunian generation born between 1970 and the mid 1980's. As this generation came of age, confusion was experienced with regard to what was right or wrong. The underlying reason for this was a want of distinction between the Law of Man and the Law of God. In other words, this generation, and the time they growing up in , had to contact a more spiritual and less material, yet at the same time practical, mean of directing human morals and appetities. A real sense of the divine or the quantum begain to emerge now.

Pluto in Libra

You are a member of Plutonian generation (1971 -1984) that grew up into a world where revolutionary changes began to take place with regard to marriage and social values. Being a child of a single parent family would be a typical example of your generation's social conditions.

In any even, you grew up in an atmosphere of great uncertainty as to what social justice and the social norm where. Evetually, as a generation, you are re-writing the social rulebook, which unavoidably means being without, or refusing to observe, the old rule book.

Leo at the Midheaven

Your life and identiy are best found and expressed through some position of prominence and authority. You do not want to be an "also ran". Studying the qualities of your Sun by Sign, House and Aspect will reveal much concerning the nature and success of your professional life.

It's important that you stand proud in the face of the public and the world at large. Your ego wants (and needs) to be put on the line. Your target is one of being seen to shine - and your mother was probably very instrumental in showing you how to do this, or how not to - or she may have (tried to) eclipse you in some way.