The conflicts between individuals' and society's interests are
hard to solve. Individuals may claim that they have inviolable interests. The
side of society may emphasize its priority. No one is willing to make
concession easily. How to gain the most interests and lessen violation to both
sides? The article points out that the solution to this kind of conflicts is
communication and empathy and finding the balance between society and
individuals. Basically, I think there is no one is willing to lose his or her
interests. The best situation is everyone gets which his or her want and has no
loss. Individuals have innate interests that no one can violate. People establish
society and its norms to bind everyone together. Therefore, they will follow
the norms which often relate to maintaining and gaining public interests.
However, society's interests don't come into existent groundless. It must have
some foundation to form it. This foundation just comes from individuals. For
example, if people want to manage the garbage collection, they may establish
the correlative rules that people can only throw out their garbage in fixed
sites and time. Discarding garbage arbitrarily is inadmissible. The cost of
this action is inconvenience to individuals. They have to go to specific sites
in time instead of anywhere and any time. Every individual shouldn't throw out
garbage as his or her will. That is a restriction, and even a sacrifice of
rights and convenience. On the other hand, this measure brings a clean public
space. You won't see discarded garbage everywhere. It's not only for society's
own good but also individuals'. Everyone shares the public spaces. Sometimes
there are some people don't obey the rules. After communication and education,
this insubordination disappears gradually.
Of course the interests are desirable. However, they
are not free. Sacrifice is usually necessary no matter what the type is. The
problem are how much the cost of a society's policy decision and how much
individuals can sacrifice. It can be nothing or a matter of life and death.
Society's interests may mean many individuals' interests. When the majority and
minority fail to meet each other and want to defend respective interests, the
conflicts start. The minority may surrender to the majority. Also, the latter
may give way to the former. After all, sacrifice is inevitable.
Reference:
Hsu, R.J. & Chen, A.C. (2012). 左右看: 如何解決個人與群體利益衝突。Retrieved from http://www.lihpao.com/?action-viewnews-itemid-118390
I agree with your point that necessary sacrifice should be made in order to accomplish something. Maybe it seems wrong that the minority should surrender to the majority. The result, however, just like you said it is to keep a group norm that tries to benefit the largest amount of people as possible. Therefore, the question should be how to come up with a compensation or other method to help the deprived
回覆刪除I think that you can make the presentation more fluent. There must be conflicts between individuals and the society. It is necessary to find out good solutions to solve problems. Although the majority is important, we cannot ignore the weaker minority.
回覆刪除作者已經移除這則留言。
回覆刪除Frankly speaking,it is relatively hard for you to discuss your points due to your stance. It is quite sensible that you use example of garbage collection and karoke.However,the course goal would like engage us in an acute debate on controversial issue.Back to offer some of my points.I also see the original text which refers to Deliberative Democracy.審議式民主(communication and empathy)However,this rational method to tackle the problem between individual and society has its drawbacks too.That is social exclusion.Because only the people granted the citizenship can exert their political power.Last but not least,the asymmetry between society and individual derives from the political institution we adopt.Maybe you can offer a detailed case that government doesn't abuse their power(This needs critique of power,as I response in your anno4 that I don't see the effort about it.Although it may lie in text you use.Would you specify?)
刪除