GRE作文范文 Issue-37

“If a goal is worthy, then any means taken to attain it are justifiable.”

嘉文博译Sample Essay

This is a type of Machiavellian statement that has led many a leader down the wrong path to destruction. There are plenty of worthy goals that are truly desirable and that could be beneficial for the entire world. Then there are other goals that may be worthy for some but detrimental to others. Part of the problem is in defining what is a “worthy” goal. Even assuming that a goal is truly worthy, it is an extremely broad overstatement to say that just because a certain goal is worthy, then whatever it takes to reach that goal is justifiable.

To begin with, one must define what is a worthy goal. What may be a worthy goal for one person may not be a worth goal for another. Is it a worthy goal to desire to have a million dollars? Is it a worthy goal to want to own a beautiful home? What about the goal of having a beautiful rich wife or a handsome wealthy husband? Certainly as individuals we can say that these indeed are worthy goals. But when you look at these goals in the context of an entire society, these goals may not be commendable to the population as a whole and may in fact be detrimental to their individual well being, particularly when the individual tries to reach these goals.

Furthermore, some goals that on the surface may appear to be admirable and worthy may actually be for personal gain only. Consider the politician whose stated goal is to be elected to office in order to serve the needs of the people. While this would seem to be a laudable goal, perhaps something more sinister lurks underneath, such as the lust for power or an individual propensity for corruption. Additionally, there have been many examples in the past of religious leaders whose goals were praiseworthy and commendable on the outside. In several cases, however, it came to the public’s attention that the money that they had been raising for their so-called “worthy” goals had in fact been used to support their very luxurious homes and the very same self-indulgent, immoral lifestyles that they had been preaching so vehemently against. One needs to look beyond the stated goal to see what end is truly trying to be accomplished.

Finally, just because a goal is truly worthy does not justify any means to achieve it. Certainly it is a worthy goal to desire to eliminate a particular disease, but it does not mean that it is acceptable to kill every human that has the disease in order to eradicate it. It is a creditable goal to want to save the environment from pollution, but closing down all factories and industries because they pollute would be disastrous to the world. The goal of lowering birth rates in developing countries to ease the suffering of their populations may very well be a praiseworthy goal, but forced sterilization of their citizens is certainly out of the question. The elimination of deaths caused by traffic accidents is unquestionably a creditable goal, yet the elimination of all automobiles is a ludicrous proposition.

In summary, there are may be some extremely rare instances when reaching a goal may justify any means required to achieve it, but is hard to imagine what such a goal would be. It is difficult enough to come up with a goal that benefits an entire population and that is truly worthy. To say that any means are justified to reach that goal may very well be impossible when one considers that wide range of repercussions that may follow from such actions.

(602 words)

参考译文

如果某个目标是值得追求的，那么为了达到这个目标所采取的任何手段都是正当的。

这是一种马基雅维利式的说法，它导致许多领导人沿着错误的道路走下去直至灭亡。有许许多多值得追求的并且会对整个世界有益的目标。但是也有许多对某些人是有价值的但对其他人是有害的目标。问题的所在是如何界定什么才是“值得追求的”目标。即使假定某个目标的确是值得追求的，但如果有人说因为某个目标值得追求所以不管采取什么手段达到这一目标都是正当的，那么，这便是一种过于宽泛的夸张说法。

首先，我们必须对什么是值得追求的目标作出界定。对一个人来说能成为值得追求的目标对另一个人来说可能不能算作值得追求的目标。希望拥有一百万美元算不算一种值得追求的目标?希望拥有一个漂亮的家算不算一种值得追求的目标?想拥有一个漂亮而又富有的妻子或者一个英俊而又有钱的丈夫，这种目标又该如何看待?毫无疑问，作为个人，我们可以说所有这些都算得上是值得追求的目标。但当你把这些目标置于整个社会这一框架下加以审视时，这些目标对于所有人来说不一定全都是值得称道的目标，并实际上有可能是有害于他们的个人福祉，尤其是当这些个人企图去实现这些目标的时候。

总而言之，有些目标表面看来是很高尚的也是值得追求的，但实际上可能仅仅关涉个人利益。请看一个政客，所宣称的目标是为了当选以便服务于民众的需要。尽管这一目标表面看来可称可赞，但是其后很可能隐藏着某种阴险邪恶的企图，例如权力欲或者腐败倾向。此外，过去已有许多宗教领袖的实例可证明这一点。这些人的目标从外面看来的确可称可赞。然而，公众却注意到他们在募集金钱时是为了所谓的“有价值有意义的”目标，但这些钱实际上却被用于支付他们奢侈住宅的费用，满足他们荒淫的、不道德的生活方式，而这些恰恰是他们在布道时最激烈反对的。所以，我们需要透过人们口头所声称的目标来看清人们意欲达到的真正目标。

最后，仅仅因为一个目标是有价值的，并不能作为人们为达到该目标就采取任何手段的正当理由。诚然，试图消除某种疾病是一个有价值的目标，但是这并非意味着为了消除该疾病而杀死每个患者是可以接受的。想拯救环境免受污染是一个值得称颂的目标，但是因为工厂污染环境就关闭所有的工厂却是人类的灾难。发展中国家降低出生率以缓解其人口的苦难，这一目标是值得称赞的，但强迫公民做绝育手术却是不可取的。消除交通事故所造成的伤亡，无疑是一个很好的目标，但是将所有的汽车赶尽“杀”绝却是一个荒唐的主意。

总而言之，可能有一些极个别的例子说明目标的实现可以证明所采用的手段是正当的。然而我们很难想像这是一个什么样的目标。提出一个目标，它既能有利于人类，又的确有价值有意义，这不是那么容易的。当我们考虑到任何行动所产生的广泛影响时，我们就不会说为了达到某一目标采取任何手段都是正当的了。