2022 John Locke Essay Competition 最新题目全解析（下）

Q1. How likely is the multiverse? Would it change anything if (somehow) we came to know the theory was true?

这道题希望同学考虑多重宇宙(平行宇宙)论的可能性程度，如果这一假说是可以被证实的，那么因此会产生哪些变化。针对这道题，我们需要首先了解多重宇宙论的内涵和其提出的意义。从哲学角度来说，讨论宇宙是否只有我们所身处其中的这一个，亦或有其他的平行时空，这是一种本体论的拷问，既是对我们所感知的当下世界的拷问，也是对我们是谁的拷问。如果平行宇宙假设可以成立，那么这将对于我们的时间观、世界观、自我认知等等都产生影响。关于这个问题，有许多科幻小说、电影和电视剧都进行了讨论，例如2017年的Netflix推出的Dark。同学可以通过阅读哲学和物理学有关理论，结合平时对于生活的观察，发散思考。

Q2. If our actions are a consequence of our capacities and preferences, and if those things are, in turn, a result of our genetic inheritance and the external world in which we happen to find ourselves, are we ultimately responsible for our choices?

这道题有两个假设条件：

第一，人的行为是我们的能力和偏好的结果；

第二，人的能力和偏好是来自我们的遗传和外部世界之影响。在这两个假设的前提下，我们是否最终要为我们的选择负责？这里核心概念是我们的责任。

责任分为两种，一种是道德责任，一种是因果责任，本题主要侧重于人的道德责任。另一个核心词是ultimately，因为人做出一种选择而行动，是由于对某个选项更偏好，如果要为行动负责，则要求此人也要对自己判断哪个选项更优的标准而负责。但是，一个人如何能对这些关于自己做出选择前的事实负责呢？需要同学去思辨，人是否要为自己的选择负终极责任。

Q3. Is it moral to take money from people through the force of law in order to pay philosophers to philosophize?

这道题希望同学去思考，通过法律的力量规定从人民手中取得金钱去支付给哲学家让他们从事哲思。该题希望同学思辨法律与道德的关系。

Q4. When, if ever, can acts involving only consenting adults be morally wrong?

这道题希望同学思考，何种情况下成年人同意的行为在道德上可能是错的？这里需要理解consenting，是指知情同意。同学需要思考哪些情形下，即使成年人之间达成了知情同意，但行为仍然是不道德的。

经济学的话题普遍都需要对经济学的基本概念理解特别深刻，同时要对应用经济学有所了解和研究，特别推荐选择经济学的同学读一下《Case Studies and Applications for Microeconomics》这本书：

Q1. Is Bitcoin a blessing or a curse?

Core Concept:

Trade and Wellbeing; Efficiency versus Fairness

交易以及福利增加；高效 vs. 公平；

参考Case:

Case 1.6: How creating extra opportunities for trade can improve wellbeing: kidney exchange and ICT

Case 2.8: Are ticket scalpers worse than used car salesmen?

Q2. What’s wrong with the housing market? How can we fix it?

Core Concept:

Marketing failure-Direct Regulation; Public goods vs. Private goods; Elasticity;

市场失灵-价格管控；公共品 vs. 私有品；弹性；市场调节

参考Case:

Case 2.6：Reducing child labor: which policy works best?

Case study 2.9 Careful how you punish: why restricting CEOs’ pay may hurt us more than them

Q3. Should Amazon pay people more? What would happen ifthey immediately increased every worker’s salary by twenty percent?

Core Concept:

Supply and Demand-Labor Market; Profit Maximization for a Firm in a Monopolistic Market; Determinants of Earnings; Measuring the increasing of workers’ income

劳动力市场的需求与供给曲线；对于一个垄断竞争市场上企业的利润最大化选择；收入的决定因素；如何衡量员工的收入增加

参考Case：

Case study 7.1 Beauty or computer skills: which will most increase your pay?

Case study 7.2 Superstars and the growing incomes of the very rich

Q4：不好写，不建议写这个。

Q4. Does it even make sense to hate someone for his or her opinions?

Summary:

Naturally, when hearding some opions that we disagree with, we will show emotions of uncomfortableness, dislike, and even hatred towards that opinion, and eventually toward that person. But it is good to keep an eye on this reaction and adjust ourselves when this happens.

1. Naturally, when hearding some opions that we disagree with, we will show emotions of uncomfortableness, dislike, and even hatred towards that opinion

Evidence:

• Some psychological studies show that we human always have a tendency to distinguish between concept of us and them, inside and outside. And we tends to favor 'us' over them, 'inside' over 'outside'.
• Find some other social psycholigical researches regarding people's reaction towards different opinions

2. ==> and eventually toward that person.

Evidence:

• Common sense: sometimes it is hard to keep that reaction to the opinion only, and it is easily to extend the emtion to the person who express the diffierent opniions
• Research: Embodiment psychology: human's cognition can be influenced by emtion and environment. In this case, the reaction to the opinion can be generalized to the environment and people when the reaction happens
• Find some other research/literature on this

3. But it is good to keep an eye on this reaction and adjust ourselves when this happens.

• Briefly discuss the logic for this reaction toward people is not right, and we should avoid this
• "I disagree with each single word that you say, but I fight for the right of speaking anything you want"