2009年12月2日 星期三

The Use of Religion (& Moral Luck)

年前的落馬州車禍, 六死. 但犯事者亦不好過. 每次看到這則報導都想起 Thomas Nagel 和 Bernard Williams 講的 moral luck 的問題.

酒後駕駛, 甚至酒後駕駛重型車輛的都肯定大有人在, 問題是邊個好彩邊個唔好彩. 你唔好彩撞死人你就是壞人, 你唔好彩撞死很多人你就是很壞的人.

我打壁球十幾年, 都試過唔覺意揮拍擊中球友. 試過撃中球友的咀巴, 令他受了點小傷. 但千鈞一髮之間, 誰能保證你擊中的不是他的眼睛?

所以, 有時, 我們是好人是壞人, 我們自己都作不得主.

另外, 讀讀下面的報導, 都感到犯事者自己都好難過. It breaks other people's hearts. It breaks his heart, too. 我在想, 假如這個世界沒有宗教, 他, 將如何自處?


被告替死者設靈 教友前認罪

【明報專訊】案發後曾跪在死者家屬面前致歉的被告羅少權,昨臨時承認誤殺罪。親友指羅這一年活於內疚中,事發後未幾暗自替6名死者設靈位拜祭,信奉基督後,亦不時為死者及其家屬祈禱,上月受浸時亦在逾400名教友面前坦承過失。

被告與內地同居女友育有一名8歲大女兒,兩人在案發後已註冊結婚,母女現居內地,女兒則每天來港上學。其妻子昨哭說,丈夫要入獄確是很傷心,但對他肯認罪,勇於承擔責任又感到開心,支持丈夫決定。
...

據羅親友稱,被告事發後一直內疚失眠,意外後未幾已在元朗一間廟內替6死者設靈位供奉,這年內每月往拜祭。被告後來更在友人介紹下,帶同女兒到九龍國際浸信會參加查經班。

該教會執事陳耀坤昨亦到庭支持被告,陳指被告加入查經班時並沒隱瞞自己是車禍的司機,沒有迴避責任。陳指羅於上月22日受浸禮時,在逾400名教友面前講述得救見證,坦承自己的過失。陳又指羅亦曾哭著向女兒解釋自己做錯事,入獄是要還債,故羅的女兒清楚知道事件來龍去脈,指羅為女兒立了好榜樣。

8 則留言:

  1. Hi Willsin, i do not understand why you mention 好彩 here. I understand that this guy has committed his errors and feel really bad after the accident. People would appreciate his pray or whatever. However he has not made the mistake because he was not lucky! This is nothing to do with playing squash. We should simply not allow ourselves to drive after having drunk !!!

    回覆刪除
  2. 1. Perhaps we should distinguish between judgement of the person from judgement of the action.

    2. The action of drunk driving is wrong, regardless of the consequence, perhaps.

    3. But will we say that the person who killed 6 people in an accident is Morally Worse than the person who killed only a cat?

    4. Whether the drunk driver happens to come across the taxi with 6 persons or he only comes across a cat in the accident is a matter of luck - which is beyond his control.

    (My memory of Nagel's paper is faint. I hope this makes some sense.)

    回覆刪除
  3. 如果 point(2)成立,drunk driving is wrong, regardless of the consequence, then yr prevous point: "我們是好人是壞人, 我們自己都作不得主"在這個場合則站不住腳。

    drunk driving會影響司機的判斷力,較易做成交通意外;而且是一種明知故犯的行為。看不出有什麼理由它可以不是不對的行為。

    認為我們可以把打壁球比喻作駕駛。有時候意外就是會發生。但不論是駕駛或做運動,我們都應該做足安全措施;例如扣安全帶,或帶眼罩。很多時打壁球都會建議我們帶眼罩,只是我們可能覺得帶咗好樣衰,或者梗係覺得唔需要,或者「邊有咁唔好彩」。所以理論上,小心的話,任何意外都可以避免。

    但drunk driving,不等同我們做運動或打一場波。所以不能跟我們有時打波會唔小心打到對手相提并論。

    「酒後駕駛, 甚至酒後駕駛重型車輛的都肯定大有人在」,不等於這種行為的嚴重性變得輕微。只是反映人們對其嚴重性的低估。

    rururu

    回覆刪除
  4. hi Willsin, i have re-read your reply.

    Yes i agree your point 1; and
    ok perhaps yes for point 3 if you describe it 'morally' worse (that make me think of 阿Q) ; thus
    for point 4, it is beyond his control of course (that is why we call it an accident), but am not sure we can call it luck. Ok perhaps if we call him 'morally' lucky if you are relating it to point 3.

    Yet, for point 2, yes "The action of drunk driving is wrong, regardless of the consequence". But not "perhaps". Drunk driving is wrong. It reduces drivers' reflection and increases the chance of accident. He is conciously taking risk of his own life and the others. Ok then perhaps we may say, not making accident after drunk driving is a luck. Though, accident after drunk driving is an accident that can be avoided. It is not accident like playing squash, or baskets, in a normal condition. Imagine, if you go to play squash after drunk and have stupidly hurt your partner's eyes due to alcohol effect. Can you call it unlucky?

    Perhaps, if you have put an exemple of 駕駛意外 instead of 酒後駕駛意外 here, I would be more convinced.

    Sorry Willsin, i am no philosopher and i am absolutely stranger to Negel's paper. Just blablabla with my nonsense. Hope i haven't wasted too much of your time ;)

    回覆刪除
  5. 還想補充一點:「問題是邊個好彩邊個唔好彩. 你唔好彩撞死人你就是壞人, 你唔好彩撞死很多人你就是很壞的人」
    =彩數不是決定我們是好人還是壞人;只是有時我們好彩,做了壞人沒有人知道。
    在我看來,好心做壞事的不因為他是壞人,只是蠢人。

    rururu

    回覆刪除
  6. 1. 醉酒駕駛是不好. 這個毋庸置疑. 但, 假如這位落馬州的貨櫃車司機沒有撞死撞傷任何人, 我們會否同樣將他看為壞人? 甚至要他坐牢? --- 但在事發現場剛好有架的士還是剛好有隻貓而已, 卻不是這位司機大佬能夠控制的.

    2. 對個別行為的好壞進行道德判斷, 我們可能要看有關行為在世界帶來甚麼後果. 因為種種不可預計的因素影響, 有些後果很嚴重, 有些並不嚴重. 所以這些行為也因而變成壞的行為, 或者是沒那麼壞的行為.

    3. 對人的素質進行道德判斷, 理性上我們要除開他們所不能控制的部份 (或者他們能力範圍以外的因素). 司機假如(自願) 醉駕, 則他作為一個人, 有問題的只是這部份而已. 至於醉駕的時候他撞倒的是豬牛羊雞定人, 還是撞死了很多人, 都是外在於他當時的能力範圍的.

    4. moral luck 的問題是一個paradox, 因為在心底裡, 我們其實都想將 accidental factor, 算入這個人的罪行之內, 但對他來說, 這, 的確是意外而已.

    回覆刪除
  7. 話說Willsin年少無知時,雖然天性單純,但很容易受人影響。他家住黃大仙某屋邨,邨內有一黑社會小頭目,到處收「靚」,Willsin這等渾噩少年,是最佳招攬對象。說來真巧,小頭目在屋邨不時四處出沒,有幾次幾乎碰上Willsin,卻都僅僅錯過。Willsin終於沒有被踢入黑社會,長大後還成為一個滿腹學問的大好人。我說呢,他是運氣好,否則早已吸毒販毒先做姑爺仔後做皮條客。

    (以上故事純屬虛構。)

    回覆刪除
  8. 對, 人的性格也與運氣有關.

    所以 Moral Luck 的問題最終都歸結到 free will, possibility of responsibility 等問題上.

    回覆刪除