How to answer the dualistic opposition of Zhihu

Simple binary opposition

There are many dualistic problems in Zhihu . This kind of simple binary opposition problem is easy to cause controversy , Of course, this may be what the platform hopes . The reason for controversy is not only its opposition , What's more, the background is vague . Because in a clear background, right and wrong are easy to identify . Thinking about such a problem requires a set of ideas ：

1、 Clarify the concept of nouns , Don't get caught up in vague concepts , The result was entangled in endless quarrels .

2、 Consider carefully the context described by the problem , Any question is meaningful only in a context . The background of many problems is also vague . Usually we have a common understanding of the background , Such as social law 、 Universal moral standards …… These are things that we think are consensus , In fact, everyone's cognition of these consensus is different, or their attention is different . This is actually a big hole . You can see his concerns from others' answers or the background of the question .

3、 Give full consideration to , Don't deny others' answers based on your past common sense and preferences . Consider the problem comprehensively , The same problem can be considered from different angles or backgrounds . Maybe because you change the angle, the answer to the question will be completely different . There is no absolute right or wrong , Even science does not represent truth . This will be very helpful to improve your thinking and cognition . What is more important is the application of this way of thinking at the social level , For example, a social phenomenon or economic phenomenon will be affected by many factors , If you want to fully understand this phenomenon, you must consider it from various angles . For example, when the legal provisions are formulated , We need to consider the applicability of the terms in different scenarios . For example, many people have paid attention to it recently Whether it is necessary to increase the penalty for the crime of buying abducted women and children . Professor Che Hao and Professor Luo Xiang elaborated different views respectively . The difference is actually the difference between the two perspectives , Compared with other legal provisions, Professor Che thinks it is already very high . Luo Xiang looks at it from the perspective of the feelings and cognition of the general public , Human beings are even less valuable than wild animals , So we should improve sentencing . So the standard of sentencing is a line , Behind how to draw this line is the game of various concepts and cognition and the consensus that can be reached .

Illustrate with examples

Here's an example , There's a problem ： Is sovereignty really above human rights ？ Answer this question in this way , First “ sovereign ” What is it? ？ Baidu's definition of sovereignty ：“ sovereign （Sovereignty） It is the supremacy of a country over its jurisdiction 、 Exclusive political power , The independence of language and civilization is the embodiment of sovereignty , in short , by “ Self determination ” The supreme authority of , It is also the source of power to govern internally according to law , A kind of strength and will to maintain independence externally .” To put it bluntly, the condition for the existence of sovereignty is the state , So there is no sovereignty before the country . In addition, the country is a social group , It implies that sovereignty is the power shared by a group with the same identity as a whole . Moreover, sovereignty has two directions, internal and external , Internal jurisdiction , Exclude it .

So let's see “ Human rights ”, Literally, it refers to human rights . Logically, there are people before there is a country , So human rights existed before the state . If you sort by first come first served ” Human rights “ It seems to be in line “ sovereign ” Before . The thought of human rights originated from the Renaissance in Europe , relative “ Human rights ” Yes. “ Theocracy ” thought . therefore “ Human rights ” At the beginning of creation, it was used for resistance ” Theocracy “ Of . and ” Human rights “ The meaning of has been vague in the development process of the past millennium . It's like a flag that can be used when Europeans want to resist something . You can use , It can also be used to resist the tyranny of Kings . Now religion is far away from the secular , The king is also far away from politics , But you can still use it when you are dissatisfied with the government .

European thinkers are very tactful , Spinoza is 《 Theological politics 》 It states “ Natural rights ” thought . He said that human rights are natural rights endowed by God , People transfer part of their natural rights by concluding contracts, which leads to the emergence of the state . At the same time, people also retain some natural rights , These reserved rights cannot be transferred , Nor can we deprive . This view well integrates human rights with the state （ sovereign ） Connect , And explain the relationship . From this point of view ” Human rights “ It is the foundation of the country , So too. “ sovereign ” The basis of . Can that prove “ Human rights ” higher than “ sovereign ” Do you ？ not always ！ First of all, we must admit that binoza's idea is the right fact , In fact, his idea is just a school of thought . His ideas may apply to countries under the capitalist system , That country in the era of slavery 、 Feudal countries 、 Socialist countries are not built on this set of ideas . This is the background of what I call the problem . Switching to a different context, the problem itself may not exist .

We will switch the background to the present with practical significance , Baidu Encyclopedia describes human rights like this ：“ Human rights are the birthright of all people , It doesn't distinguish race 、 Gender 、 Sexual orientation 、 nationality 、 one's ethnic background 、 Language 、 Religion or any other status . Human rights include the right to life and freedom , The right not to be enslaved or tortured , The right to freedom of opinion and expression , The right to work and education and more . Everyone has the right to enjoy these rights without discrimination . The ideas and thoughts related to human rights in various countries in the world are gradually unified , The principle of universality of human rights has been recognized by all countries in the world .《 The Universal Declaration of human rights 》（The Universal Declaration ofHuman Rights） Pointed out that ：“ Everyone is born free , Equal in dignity and rights .” The most important thing in this passage is that human rights related concepts and ideas are gradually unified . This shows that human rights thought is a dynamic process , It is much more vague than the concept of sovereignty . How can a right with unclear boundaries and concepts compare with another right ？

Finally, let's discuss the most important word in this problem ” higher than “. there ” high “ What does it mean ？

1. priority ： Does human rights take precedence over sovereignty ？
2. Importance ： Is human rights more important than sovereignty ？
3. A wide range ： Does human rights cover a wider range ？

This is what I said earlier to look at the problem more comprehensively from different perspectives .

First, let's look at the priority . Reason 1 ： The emergence of human rights predates sovereignty , But this is not the first priority . Reason 2 ：” Natural rights “ Human rights is the foundation of building a country . hypothesis ” Natural rights “ Our thoughts are truth , Then it just proves that human rights take precedence over sovereignty . Because besides internal jurisdiction, sovereignty also includes external rights . To put it bluntly, the coverage of these two rights is different . It is possible to compare the internal and external rights only when they overlap , Foreign countries mainly talk about sovereignty . The reason why the United States hates it is that as a country, it does not respect the sovereignty of other countries , But blame others everywhere “ Human rights ”, This is a dislocation .

Secondly, from the perspective of importance, society is composed of people , Ensuring the rights of individuals is the basis for the existence of a social state . It is usually the duty of the government to protect human rights in the Taiping era . But it is also the duty of every individual to protect the sovereignty of a country when its sovereignty is threatened during the war .“ The rise and fall of the world , expect everyone to do his duty ”. So we can find the biggest problem bug It's simply opposites without talking about the background . Of course, this kind of design is easy to give the space for the bar essence . And the so-called essence of the bar is to emphasize only one background that you believe , Or others say A Scene time , He said B Scene time , Just for the sake of opposition .

From the perspective of scope or coverage , There is overlap between the two , But at different levels , One is about personal rights , One stresses the rights of groups . So it's not who has a wide range who is more “ high ”, Because there are dimensional differences .

Finally stand higher , Both sovereignty and human rights belong to a historical category . Which is more important depends on the main contradiction in the historical stage . In general, human society has changed from small to large , From simple to complex . So the core point to consider is which one can better conform to this trend . When people are in poverty of material scarcity , All things that can guarantee people's right to survival and development are of higher priority . When society is rich in material wealth and people's livelihood is guaranteed , We should pay attention to the construction of the country and society . If a group has no rights that can be exercised as a whole , Then it can only be a plate of loose sand .

Civilization must first ensure human development , But it will not stop at human development . Civilization is a whole , It is not a simple aggregation of individuals . Just like the human body is made up of cells , But it's not that tens of trillions of cells simply gather together to become a person . There are complex cooperative relationships between cells . If a cell only considers itself and does not consider the collective, it is a cancer cell . As a person, we must first protect our own health , That is, the living environment of cells in the body . But a person doesn't live just to eat 、 Take care of the body and the cells in the body . We have to deal with the wonderful world outside .

The West places too much emphasis on individual rights , This may be harmful to society as a whole . Finally, don't look at sovereignty and human rights in opposition , The idea of either black or white will kill people .

summary

Finally, go back to the way of thinking itself , Thinking in all directions not only allows you to understand the essence of things more comprehensively , It also makes it easy for you to understand why others look at things like this . You will have “ See yourself , See heaven and earth , See all living beings ” The state of . In addition, in the collision of different views, you can find something you didn't think of or ignored , These can help you improve your ideas and opinions .