In 1967, the British philosopher Philippa Ford introduced in his book a well-known "dilemma thought experiment", also known as the "tram problem":
Imagine that you witness a tram that is about to collide with five passengers on the track ahead of it due to brake failure, and there is only one passenger on the alternate track next to it. If you don't do anything, the five passengers will face a fatal impact. If you want to get your car through this accident zone, then you have to stop it first, start the backup track, and then continue to move backwards.
You have a button on hand that, once pressed, will put the vehicle on an alternate track and will only kill one person. If you stop the car in an emergency, you can guarantee that the other four people will not be injured because they will not have a chance to rescue the passenger who is dying. Should you sacrifice a person's life in order to save the other five?
This complex question, despite years of thinking, development and even modification of conditions, has not yet found an answer.
However, the answer is actually influenced and determined by a combination of circumstances and conditions.
Before the article begins, the main reason why Xiao Xi asks this question is whether the "choice" involved is to choose 1 death, or 5 deaths, or more
The focus of this article is on Bao Zheng, who is based on the "truth theory". The problems he encountered were similar, but his decision-making was always fraught with "individualism" stubbornness and limitations, and at the same time, his personality was always controversial.
01, when the Son of Heaven broke the law, he was no different from the crimes of ordinary people
According to the setting of the plot, Bao Zheng was a young teenager when he made his debut, and his every action has both the maturity of a single-parent family and the enthusiasm and innocence of a young man.
Therefore, when the crown prince of Goryeo began to carry out crazy temptations on the edge of danger, neglected the mission of the Great Song Dynasty, and committed improper acts against the people of the Great Song Dynasty (Xiao Ai), Geng Zhi Boy also began to wrap black charcoal.
In the history of the Great Song Dynasty, the emphasis on culture and the neglect of force led to the gradual weakening of the state. Pang Taishi held the power of the imperial court, the queen mother hung the curtain to listen to the government, and the emperor was like a puppet, always taking into account Pang Taishi's intentions;Goryeo was outside, while Daliao kept an eye on them, often stationing troops on the border to harass them.
The main purpose of establishing a marriage relationship with Goryeo was to avoid an alliance between Goryeo and Daliao, so as to avoid falling into the embattled dilemma.
After Xiao Ai's incident, Bao Zheng's heart was full of dissatisfaction, and he hoped to get justice for Xiao Ai. His thinking was very straightforward: if the Son of Heaven broke the law, then he and ordinary people should be punished equally, and he must not be let go easily.
But in fact, the situation is not complicated. Not only was the diplomatic relations between the Great Song and Goryeo strained, but King Bahyun and Pang Taishi held different views many times in court meetings, and few people dared to take action against him easily just because of their status as the crown prince of Goryeo.
In this inconspicuous city of Luzhou, who can be qualified to "investigate" his crimes?
When Bao Zheng appeared in front of Aunt Bao, she advised him affectionately for the first time.
If the Son of Heaven has broken the law, how can he be punished with the common people?Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty behaved ** and was unreasonable, Tang Taizong actually killed his brother in order to be held accountable, how many emperors could escape. "Aren't you trying to make us all emperors?"Is this really the end of it?”
Child, mothers are relieved when you do not flinch in the face of power and do not remain vigilant in the face of authority. But now, the Great Song Dynasty has made a request to Goryeo, and the crown prince of Goryeo is a guest of the state, who dares to offend him. ”
The crown prince of Goryeo was assassinated and killed in the territory of the Great Song Dynasty, and war was about to break out, and thousands of troops sent to the Great Song were openly stationed outside the city.
At this critical moment, Bao Zheng's investigation was carried out in depth, gradually revealing some clues, and the relationship between Xiao Ai and Chu Chu was also **, and all the accusations were pointed at Chu Chu.
The crisis seemed to be coming to an end, but then, Bao Zheng reversed his views and continued to investigate deeply. Shockingly, the Seventh Prince also suffered misfortune. The general stationed outside the city led his army to storm the city of Luzhou, and on the pretext of bringing back the county lord and Cui Shangshu, he burned and looted inside the city, causing the local people to live in extreme distress.
At this critical moment, Bao Zheng found clues related to the county lord and Cui Shangshu.
The county lord and Cui Shangshu were identified as **, this conclusion not only has a clear motive and superb martial arts, but also uses the sword in Cui Shangshu's hand as conclusive evidence.
This result was undoubtedly the best for the people of the Great Song and Goryeo, and it not only avoided the disaster of war in the two countries and the displacement of the two peoples, but also made the situation in the Great Song less passive.
Goryeo's internal strife caused problems for the inhabitants of Luju City and the border. Due to their inner turmoil, the two princes died in the Great Song Dynasty. The Great Song made a moral mistake, so the alliance between the two sides only became smoother and more harmonious.
At this point, it's actually time to put an end to the matter for the time being, and the "truth" that everyone is looking for is in place, and no one can be sure what the next findings will be and what the impact will be.
Take Pang Taishi's description of Xiao Ai's death as an example: the timing of this woman's death is too appropriate, the real ** is not only her, but also her, from a strategic point of view, she is destined to die.
From a strategic point of view, the real ** is Cui Shangshu and his team, even if the real ** is not them, it is indeed them.
However, Bao Zheng does not care about these things, and he always sticks to his deep belief in "justice".
Bao Zheng used himself and Aunt Bao as gambling funds, risking his life to seek justice. However, these so-called "justice" and "justice" are based on the "sacrifice" of some innocent people, and in fact, such "justice" and "justice" constitute a vicious circle.
02. There is never more than one truth.
Recalling when he was a child, Bao Zheng always firmly believed that "there is only one truth", and this view is correct.
However, after going through countless things, when we look back, we realize that "there is only one truth", and this view has always been established on the basis of "idealization".
Bao Zheng is a straightforward person, his concept of right and wrong is very clear, and he deeply believes that there are no blurred boundaries, right is right, and wrong is wrong.
At this stage, Bao Zheng is actually in the stage of growth in terms of thinking and the way he handles affairs.
At home, Bao Da Niang provided him with financial support, and when interacting with the outside world, he was highly praised by the Eight Sages King. The Eight Sages may have also experienced the loyalty and integrity of his youth, so he lamented that he was too young.
When he observed Bao Zheng, he found a shadow of his past, so he had a certain degree of tolerance and expectation for Bao Zheng. When dealing with the case of the crown prince of Goryeo, he took the initiative to bear a lot of pressure and crisis for Bao Zheng.
However, when facing the big picture, right and wrong judgments are necessary, which requires some "vague choices", and people need to have a sense of proportion and boundaries when acting.
Obviously, Bao Zheng does not exist.
He was neither unduly restrained in his actions, nor did he set limits on his position and policies.
In the case of serial killings involving Goryeo envoys, the real focus is not just on finding the real culprit, but more on diplomatic relations between the two countries.
From a more serious point of view, Bao Zheng's continuous handling methods and frequent changes in his rhetoric caused the Goryeo side to surrender to the king of Goryeo many times, and he could not bear the consequences of the war.
There is a similarity, that is, the "prestige in front of the palace" part behind it also shows a deep connotation.
During the competition, Yuan Han spent more than ten years studying hard to Xi, looking forward to the exam results of "Spring Breeze Proud". However, with the clues he found and many unanswered questions, he began to accuse Sai Yuan of murder.
Due to the failure to participate in the scientific expedition in the competition, he had to return to his hometown.
You have to understand that it was an exam that was held every three years, and it brought prosperity to the child and the whole family, but what about the situation after three years?
He was impulsive all the way and sacrificed the interests of others for the sake of achieving his own "justice", is this firm attitude really suitable?
03. On the main road to Rome, he chose only one.
Bao Zheng, his personality can be said to be straightforward, or it can be said to be a little mean, and he is not good at being flexible. For such a **, it is really difficult to judge whether he is good or bad.
However, it must be admitted that in many cases his frankness is difficult to comprehend.
The most obvious example of this is that the emperor gave him an important position.
For this matter, we can go deep into multiple dimensions**:
Pang Taishi had been in control of the government for too long and his influence was huge, and although Cui Mingchong served the country wholeheartedly, he sometimes felt constrained due to his status.
The Eight Sages were more inclined to consolidate the foundation of the state and ensure the territorial security of the Zhao family.
Cui Mingchong's original plan was to gather a group of people to serve the country, but now his death is equivalent to weakening Pang Taishi's power. Both the Emperor and the Eight Sages need to build their own networks and influences, so the resilient and straightforward Bao Zheng is a very suitable candidate.
In addition, Bao Zheng once mentioned to the Eight Sages that the purpose of his participation in the imperial examination was to serve the common people, and both the emperor and the Eight Sages firmly believed that he had the ability to become an excellent **, so they were willing to open a green channel for him.
Choosing a shortcut may not always be good, but at least on this issue, it's not that bad.
Unfortunately, Bao Zheng resolutely refused, leaving no room for error.
We often mention that there are many avenues leading to Rome, and asking for orders in the name of official positions is not just about participating in the imperial examinations in a righteous and open manner, but Bao Zheng undoubtedly planned to push this path to the end.
The Eight Sages once suggested to Bao Zheng that as long as he could stick to his original intention and enter the officialdom as soon as possible, he could also seek well-being for the people and serve the people. Obviously, when Bao Zheng rejected him, he still had the pursuit of "justice" in his heart.
Choosing to take shortcuts violated his deepest loyalty and righteousness, and his personal perseverance and persistence prevailed, which also led to his regression in the goal of serving the people.
In many cases, we think that Bao Zheng is a very good person, and he has advantages that many other people do not have, which is why some netizens commented: Gongsun Ce often has, while Bao Zheng does not often have.
However, his shortcomings are also highly controversial. The most striking point is the "aura of the Virgin" that emanates from him. Whenever there is ***, he will stand on his own side and provide them with righteous comfort and criticism.
As the saying goes: one should not exhort others to do good unless they have experienced their suffering.
Shen Liang, the son of the high-ranking ** of the Great Liao, was forced to be sent to the Great Song Dynasty, and although he was abandoned for more than ten years, he did not want to incite a war between the two countries?
Meng Fang, the man who plotted the murder, has had more than a hundred people wiped out since he was a child, and he and his brother and sister have not gone astray, which is already quite good.
However, Bao Zheng's tall theories jumped outward one after another, giving people the feeling of standing and talking without feeling low back pain.
The last part of the article.
This play was able to surpass the other two works, mainly because the design of its characters was both three-dimensional and full.
There are no flawless good guys or outright bad guys.
No matter how good Bao Zheng is, he exudes a strong aura of "Holy Mother";No matter how bad Pang Taishi is, he will go home and face the tenderness and care of his daughters.
When it comes to Bao Zheng, he is a person who is easy to treat others with sincerity, which can be both a good thing and a bad thing.
However, the character of Bao Zheng, no matter how smart he is, is actually a very narcissistic person who lacks a global vision, which is very different from Gongsun Ce, who has been Xi observing his father's behavior in officialdom since childhood.
Fortunately, Bao Zheng's personality gradually matured and changed with his later life experience, and it was impossible for him to maintain such a personality forever.