Can it be argued that in war all means are good?
War is a difficult test for people, when they are forced to choose between good and evil, loyalty and treason at the borderline moments ... It is difficult to understand what determines the means to achieve goals (especially in wartime, when the line between life and death becomes barely perceptible). Someone is guided by personal interests, others - by eternal, enduring values. It is important that the chosen means do not diverge from moral convictions, but, unfortunately, sometimes a person’s actions go beyond the generally accepted norms.
We find confirmation of this on the pages of Russian literature. Let us recall, for example, M.A. Sholokhov’s story “The Fate of a Man”, which shows the story of a man who managed to preserve his human dignity, a living soul, capable of responding to the pain of those around him. Did Andrey Sokolov, the protagonist of the story, always choose a worthy means to achieve his goals? He is the defender of the country, it is important for him to stop the enemy, and therefore he honestly serves without hiding behind the backs of his comrades. But Sokolov is forced to kill a man. Many will say: “War - someone kills someone. That is the law. There's nothing to worry about." Maybe so, only he kills his own, a traitor. It would seem that the end justifies the means, but a drama is played out in the hero’s soul: “For the first time in his life he killed, and then his own ... But what is he like his own? He's worse than someone else's, a traitor."
This internal monologue of Sokolov testifies that for him murder as a means of achieving even a noble goal (saving the life of the captain) is immoral. Andrei agrees to this because he sees no other way to solve this difficult task.
Classical literature, being a vivid example of moral values, also shows cases when insignificant means of achieving goals deserve condemnation. Let us turn to V. G. Rasputin’s story “Live and Remember”. The very title of the work, like an alarm, sounds like a warning spell in the heart of the reader: to live and remember. What can't be forgotten? About the war that crippled the fate of people?! About those who, by their actions, deeds, destroyed the lives of loved ones or tarnished military honor?!
It would seem that the usual desire of a soldier after being wounded and treated in a hospital is to stay in his native village, to feel the warmth and care of his wife and parents. There is nothing reprehensible in this, because this is not murder, not theft ... But, having chosen the path of desertion, Andrei Guskov makes his wife Nastya lie, hide from fellow villagers. This road turned out to be unbearable and disastrous not only for her, but also for Guskov. Hiding from everyone, he turns into a driven animal, living by the instinct of self-preservation, unable to understand Nastya's pain, her anxiety about their unborn child. He does not give in to his wife's exhortations to repent and surrender, but only accuses her of wanting to get rid of him. The condemning looks of fellow villagers, the reproaches of her husband's parents, the inability to rejoice at the end of the war, the constant feeling of guilt in front of those who bring the funeral, make Nastya's life unbearable. But she, like a devoted wife, steadfastly endures all hardships. Maybe Andrew should remember this? Probably not only that.
The scene of the death of the heroine is terrible: she sacrifices herself and the life of an unborn child for the sake of saving her husband, she rushes into the Angara. Who is to blame for these deaths? Life? War? Andrey Guskov?
A person, having decided to desert, could not preserve the main thing in himself - a sense of human dignity. He doomed his beloved wife and the long-awaited (never born) child to death, which, perhaps, became for Nastya a kind of deliverance from the difficult trials that fell to her lot. This is exactly what you need to remember: you, Andrei Guskov, are guilty of the suffering and death of loved ones, you are doomed to loneliness and condemnation, because the means you have chosen cannot be justified by anything.
Returning to the question “Can it be argued that in war all means are good”, I come to the conclusion that often in the dilemma “life and death” we do not think about how and what we do. This is wrong, although none of us is immune from mistakes. We must remember: this is a time of peace or war, we are people and we must try to preserve our soul, which means that we should treat with special responsibility the means we choose to achieve the goal.
595 words
Composition sent by Vanyusha
Approximate topics of the final essay 2017-2018 (list). Direction "Aims and means".
Can it be argued that in war all means are good?
Does the end justify the means?
How do you understand the saying: "The game is not worth the candle"?
Why is it important to have a purpose in life?
What is the goal for?
Do you agree with the statement: “A person who certainly wants something forces fate to give up”?
How do you understand the saying: “When the goal is reached, the path is forgotten”?
What goal brings satisfaction?
Confirm or refute A. Einstein's statement: "If you want to lead a happy life, you must be attached to the goal, and not to people or things"?
Is it possible to achieve a goal if the obstacles seem insurmountable?
What qualities should a person have in order to achieve great goals?
Is the saying of Confucius true: "When it seems to you that the goal is unattainable, do not change the goal - change your plan of action"?
What does "great purpose" mean?
Who or what helps a person achieve a goal in life?
How do you understand the saying of O. de Balzac: “In order to reach the goal, one must first of all go”?
Can a person live without a purpose?
How do you understand the statement of E.A. According to “No transport will be passing if you don’t know where to go”?
Is it possible to achieve a goal if everyone is against you?
What is the result of not having a purpose in life?
What is the difference between true and false purpose?
How is a dream different from a goal?
What is the danger of an aimless existence?
How do you understand the saying of M. Gandhi: "Find a goal, resources will be found."
How to reach the goal?
Do you agree with the statement: “He walks faster who walks alone”?
Is it possible to judge a person by his purpose?
Is it possible to justify the great goals achieved dishonestly?
How does society influence the formation of goals?
Do you agree with A. Einstein's statement: "No goal is so lofty as to justify unworthy means to achieve it"?
Are there unattainable goals?
How do you understand the words of J. Orwell: “I understand how; I do not understand why"?
Can a good goal serve as a cover for base plans?
Do you agree with the statement of A. Rand: “Only the one in whom aspirations have died out is lost forever”?
In what situations in life does the achievement of a goal not bring happiness?
What is a person capable of who has lost his purpose in life?
Does achieving a goal always make a person happy?
What is the purpose of human existence?
Do I need to set "unattainable" goals?
How do you understand the phrase "to go over the heads"?
What is the difference between a "momentary desire" and a "goal"?
How are the moral qualities of a person related to the means that he chooses to achieve his goals?
How do you understand the statement of L. da Vinci: “The one who aspires to the stars does not turn around”?
List of literature for preparation for the final essay. "Aims and Means".
Jean-Baptiste Moliere "Tartuffe"
Jack London " "
William Thackeray "Vanity Fair"
Ayn Rand "Atlas Shrugged"
Theodore Dreiser "The Financier"
M. A. Bulgakov " and " , "Dog's heart"
I. Ilf, E. Petrov "Twelve chairs"
V.A. Kaverin "Two Captains"
F. M. Dostoevsky"Crime and Punishment", "The Brothers Karamazov", "Idiot"
A. R. Belyaev "Professor Dowell's Head"
B. L. Vasiliev"And the dawns here are quiet"
Winston Groom "Forrest Gump"
A.S. Pushkin"Captain's daughter",
"Mozart and Salieri"
J. Tolkien "The Lord of the Rings"
O. Wilde "The Picture of Dorian Gray"
I. Goncharov« »
I.S. Turgenev"Fathers and Sons"
L.N. Tolstoy"War and Peace"
M.A. Sholokhov "The Fate of Man"
D.S. Likhachev "Letters about the good and the beautiful"
A.P. Chekhov ""
R. Gallego "White on black"
O. de Balzac "Shagreen leather"
I.A. Bunin"Sir from San Francisco"
N.V. Gogol
"Overcoat"
,
"Dead Souls"
M.Yu. Lermontov
"Hero of our time"
V.G. Korolenko "The Blind Musician"
E.I. Zamyatin "We"
V.P. Astafiev "King fish"
B. Polevoy "The Tale of a Real Man"
E. Schwartz
"The Dragon"
A. Azimov "Positronic Man"
A. de Saint-Exupery "The Little Prince"
War, without a doubt, is one of the most terrible trials that can befall a person. Nothing brings so much misfortune, so much sorrow and suffering, as their wars bring. From petty tribal skirmishes to the cataclysmic conflicts of the 20th century, they have haunted humanity throughout history. In addition to the enormous risk to life, war is also the hardest test of the human psyche. To remain a man at the front, when comrades are dying around him every day, or in the rear, when you constantly live in fear for your loved ones, afraid to receive a fatal letter from the front - only a truly strong-willed person can withstand this. I believe that the consequentialist principle "all means are good in war" is a fundamentally wrong view of the world, especially in the conditions of real military operations.
Talking about the war, it is hard not to recall one of the greatest works of Russian and world literature - "War and Peace" by L.
N. Tolstoy. Tolstoy's ideas of non-violence made a huge contribution to Russian philosophy, and were also reflected in the characters of many of the heroes of this work. The highest manifestation of moral qualities and philanthropy is the episode in which Natasha Rostova, a man with an extremely rich inner world, in tears persuades her parents to give all the carts that were at the disposal of the Rostov family to the wounded soldiers, who otherwise would have faced inevitable death in French captivity. In this scene, the goal is to evacuate Moscow at the lowest possible cost, but to achieve this goal, the Rostovs would have to refuse help to the soldiers. This did not happen only thanks to Natasha, who was able to convince the whole family and dispose of the carts fairly.
We meet another episode, incredibly difficult for both the reader and the characters, in the epic novel Quiet Flows the Don by Mikhail Sholokhov.
Here, the heroes face an even more difficult test - a civil, "fratricidal" war. Ilya Bunchuk is an example of a person who is ready to do anything for the sake of the party and the "fight against the bourgeois system." He is engaged in agitation at the front, preparing militias in the rear, making every effort to suppress the white movement. However, even he is unable to withstand the work of the commandant of the revolutionary tribunal. After a week of constant executions of the White Guards, Bunchuk's psyche was finally shaken. He suddenly realized what a terrible sin he had committed, "bringing the revolution to the masses." The death of his beloved finally breaks him: death for him becomes a happy occasion, deliverance from suffering.
Thus, on the example of two different works, we were convinced that, in spite of any circumstances, the most important thing is to maintain basic moral guidelines and not turn from a man into a beast. I would like to finish with a quote from a textbook on philosophy: “A person who violates fundamental moral principles undoubtedly acts against himself, since he destroys his psyche due to the constant conflict of consciousness and subconsciousness. He cannot avoid this conflict, even if he convinces himself that he does not care about high morality.
Effective preparation for the exam (all subjects) - start preparing
Updated: 2017-09-25
Attention!
Thank you for your attention.
If you notice an error or typo, highlight the text and press Ctrl+Enter.
Thus, you will provide invaluable benefit to the project and other readers.
"Aims and Means"
The concepts of this direction are interconnected and allow us to think about the life aspirations of a person, the importance of meaningful goal setting, the ability to correctly correlate the goal and the means to achieve it, as well as the ethical assessment of human actions.
Many literary works feature characters who deliberately or mistakenly chose unsuitable means to implement their plans. And it often turns out that a good goal serves only as a cover for true (lower) plans. Such characters are opposed to heroes for whom the means to achieve a lofty goal are inseparable from the requirements of morality.
Sample topics.
1. Should every person have a goal in life?
2. Are the means to achieve the goal always chosen correctly?
3. Is it possible to "go over the heads" in order to achieve your goal?
4. Can it be argued that all means are good in war?
5. How do you understand the saying: "The game is not worth the candle"?
6. Does a person who has a goal in life always achieve it?
7. Is it possible to achieve a goal if the obstacles seem insurmountable?
8. What qualities should a person have in order to achieve great goals?
9. Is the statement of Confucius true: “When it seems to you that the goal is unattainable, do not change the goal - change your plan of action”?
10. What does “great purpose” mean?
11. Can others help a person achieve the goal?
12. How do you understand Balzac's saying: "In order to reach the goal, one must first of all go"?
13. Do I need to believe in myself to achieve my goal?
14. Is a person's life easy without a goal?
15. How is a dream different from a goal?
16. Is it possible to judge a person by his goals?
17. Is it possible to justify great goals achieved dishonestly?
18. Do you agree with the statement of A. Einstein: "No goal is so lofty as to justify unworthy means to achieve it"?
19. Do you agree with the statement of A. Rand: “Only the one in whom aspirations have died out is lost forever”?
20. Does achieving a goal always make a person happy?
21. How are the moral qualities of a person related to the means that he chooses to achieve his goals?
22. How do you understand the statement of L. da Vinci: “The one who aspires to the stars does not turn around”?
23. Can obstacles hinder the achievement of the true goal?
Bibliography:
1. Jack London "Martin Eden"
2. M. A. Bulgakov "Master and Margarita", "Heart of a Dog"
3. F. M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment"
4. B. L. Vasiliev “The Dawns Here Are Quiet”
5. A.S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter", "Mozart and Salieri"
6. O. Wilde "The Picture of Dorian Gray"
7. I. Goncharov "Oblomov"
8. I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons"
9. L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace"
10. M.A. Sholokhov "The Fate of Man", "Quiet Flows the Don"
11. O. de Balzac "Shagreen leather"
12. I.A. Bunin "The Gentleman from San Francisco"
13. N.V. Gogol "The Overcoat", "Dead Souls", "Taras Bulba"
14. M.Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time"
15. B. Polevoy "The Tale of a Real Man"
What topics can you offer?
Can it be argued that in war all means are good?
Does the end justify the means?
How do you understand the saying: "The game is not worth the candle"?
Why is it important to have a purpose in life?
What is the goal for?
Do you agree with the statement: “A person who certainly wants something forces fate to give up”?
How do you understand the saying: “When the goal is reached, the path is forgotten”?
What goal brings satisfaction?
Confirm or refute A. Einstein's statement: "If you want to lead a happy life, you must be attached to the goal, and not to people or things"?
Is it possible to achieve a goal if the obstacles seem insurmountable?
What qualities should a person have in order to achieve great goals?
Is the saying of Confucius true: "When it seems to you that the goal is unattainable, do not change the goal - change your plan of action"?
What does "great purpose" mean?
Who or what helps a person achieve a goal in life?
How do you understand the saying of O. de Balzac: “In order to reach the goal, one must first of all go”?
Can a person live without a purpose?
How do you understand the statement of E.A. According to “No transport will be passing if you don’t know where to go”?
Is it possible to achieve a goal if everyone is against you?
What is the result of not having a purpose in life?
What is the difference between true and false purpose?
How is a dream different from a goal?
What is the danger of an aimless existence?
How do you understand the saying of M. Gandhi: "Find a goal, resources will be found."
How to reach the goal?
Do you agree with the statement: “He walks faster who walks alone”?
Is it possible to judge a person by his purpose?
Is it possible to justify the great goals achieved dishonestly?
How does society influence the formation of goals?
Do you agree with A. Einstein's statement: "No goal is so lofty as to justify unworthy means to achieve it"?
Are there unattainable goals?
How do you understand the words of J. Orwell: “I understand how; I do not understand why"?
Can a good goal serve as a cover for base plans?
Do you agree with the statement of A. Rand: “Only the one in whom aspirations have died out is lost forever”?
In what situations in life does the achievement of a goal not bring happiness?
What is a person capable of who has lost his purpose in life?
Does achieving a goal always make a person happy?
What is the purpose of human existence?
Do I need to set "unattainable" goals?
How do you understand the phrase "to go over the heads"?
What is the difference between a "momentary desire" and a "goal"?
How are the moral qualities of a person related to the means that he chooses to achieve his goals?
How do you understand the statement of L. da Vinci: “The one who aspires to the stars does not turn around”?
How to open a topic:
The concepts of this direction are interconnected and allow us to think about the life aspirations of a person, the importance of meaningful goal setting, the ability to correctly correlate the goal and the means to achieve it, as well as the ethical assessment of human actions.
Many literary works feature characters who deliberately or mistakenly chose unsuitable means to implement their plans. And it often turns out that a good goal serves only as a cover for true (lower) plans. Such characters are opposed to heroes for whom the means to achieve a lofty goal are inseparable from the requirements of morality.
Arguments from the works:
"Crime and Punishment", F. M. Dostoevsky
Raskolnikov's train of thought is described here. He tried to create his own philosophy to shield his pitiful deeds. The main character went for the kill. He had a goal - money. And the tool is an axe. A deplorable outcome. But Dostoevsky did not lower his hero to the very bottom. He gave him a chance to repent of his sins.
"American Tragedy", T. "Dreiser"
We are watching the life of a young and promising guy who quickly began to climb the social and career ladder. He had a beloved girl from a poor family. Once the hero realized that he needed a more profitable party. So he killed his beloved to free himself from his burden. The hero did not have time to become happy in his own way. The police quickly found the culprit.
Useful quotes:
Let no one deviate a single step from the honest path under the plausible pretext that this is justified by a noble goal. Any beautiful goal can be achieved by honest means. And if it is impossible, then this goal is bad (Ch. Dickens
Through the realization of great goals, a person discovers in himself a great character, which makes him a beacon for others (G.F. Hegel)
Ideal is a guiding star. Without it there is no firm direction, and no direction - no life (L.N. Tolstoy)
No goal is high enough to justify unworthy means to achieve it (A. Einstein)
Light has long been called a stormy ocean, but happy is he who sails with a compass (N.M. Karamzin)
If only people knew that the goal of mankind is not material progress, that this progress is inevitable growth, and the goal is the same - the good of all people ... (L.N. Tolstoy)
If a person makes his goal something vain, that is, insignificant, insignificant, then there is not an interest in the matter, but an interest in himself (G. F. Hegel)
First, don't do anything without a reason and purpose. Secondly, do not do anything that does not tend to benefit society (M. Aurelius)
A person who certainly wants something forces fate to give up. (M.Yu. Lermontov)
Man must learn to obey himself and obey his decisions. (Cicero)
When the goal is reached, the path is forgotten. (Osho)
The meaning of life is those goals that make you appreciate it. (W. James)
Perfect means for obscure ends are a characteristic feature of our time. (A. Einstein)
High goals, even if unfulfilled, are dearer to us than low goals, even if they are achieved. (I. Goethe)
If you want to lead a happy life, you must be attached to a goal, not to people or things. (A. Einstein)
You cannot change the direction of the wind, but you can always raise the sails to reach your goal. (O. Wilde)
Find a goal, resources will be found. (M. Gandhi)
If you are heading towards the goal and stop along the way to throw stones at every dog that barks at you, you will never reach the goal. (F.M. Dostoevsky)
The weaker and simpler people are best judged by their characters, the more intelligent and secretive by their goals. (F. Bacon)
It's never too late to step out of the crowd. Follow your dream, move towards your goal. (B. Shaw)
When it seems to you that the goal is unattainable, do not change the goal - change your plan of action. (Confucius)
We must set ourselves tasks above our strength: firstly, because you never know them anyway, and secondly, because forces appear as you complete an unattainable task. (B. L. Pasternak)
Ask yourself, do you crave this with all the strength of your soul? Will you live to see the evening if you don't get this thing? And if you are sure that you will not live, grab it and run. (R. Bradbury)
To reach the goal, you must first of all go. (O. de Balzac)
A person must have a goal, he cannot do it without a goal, for that reason is given to him. If he does not have a goal, he invents it... (A. and B. Strugatsky)
If you want to achieve the goal of your aspiration, ask more politely about the road you have lost. (W. Shakespeare)
I understand HOW; I do not understand why. (J. Orwell)
If you want to achieve a goal, don't try to be subtle or smart. Use rough tricks. Hit the target right away. Come back and hit again. Then hit again, with the strongest blow from the shoulder. (W. Churchill)
No transport will be passing if you do not know where to go. (E.A. Poe)
The one who aspires to the stars does not turn around. (L. da Vinci)
Life goes breathless without an aim. (F. M. Dostoevsky)
There are few unattainable things in the world: if we had more perseverance, we could find a way to almost any goal. (F. de La Rochefoucauld)
Some Jesuits say that every means is good, if only to achieve the goal. Not true! Not true! With feet defiled by the dirt of the road, it is unworthy to enter a clean temple. (I.S. Turgenev)
He walks faster who walks alone. (J. London)
Life reaches its peaks in those moments when all its forces are directed towards the implementation of the goals set for it. (J. London)
High goals, even if unfulfilled, are dearer to us than low goals, even if they are achieved. (Goethe)
At some second of the way, the target begins to fly at us. The only thought: do not evade. (M.I. Tsvetaeva)
The intention of a warrior is stronger than any obstacles. (K. Castaneda)
Only the one in whom the aspirations have died out is lost forever. (A. Rand)
It is much better to do great deeds, to celebrate great victories, even if mistakes happen along the way, than to join the ranks of ordinary people who know neither great joy nor great misfortune, living a gray life, where there are neither victories nor defeats. (T. Roosevelt)
Not a single person lives without some goal and striving for it. Having lost purpose and hope, a person often turns into a monster out of anguish... (F.M. Dostoevsky)
A person grows as his goals grow. (I. Schiller)
If there is no goal, you do nothing, and you do nothing great if the goal is insignificant. (D. Diderot)
Seek what is above what you can find. (D.I. Kharms)
Nothing calms the spirit so much as finding a solid goal - a point to which our inner gaze is directed. (M. Shelley)
Happiness lies in the joy of reaching a goal and the thrill of creative effort. (F. Roosevelt)
Bibliography:
Jean-Baptiste Moliere "Tartuffe"
Jack London "Martin Eden"
William Thackeray "Vanity Fair"
Ayn Rand "Atlas Shrugged"
Theodore Dreiser "The Financier"
M. A. Bulgakov "Master and Margarita", "Heart of a Dog"
I. Ilf, E. Petrov "Twelve chairs"
V.A. Kaverin "Two Captains"
F. M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment", "The Brothers Karamazov", "The Idiot"
A. R. Belyaev "Professor Dowell's Head"
B. L. Vasiliev “The Dawns Here Are Quiet”
Winston Groom "Forrest Gump"
A.S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter", "Mozart and Salieri"
J. Tolkien "The Lord of the Rings"
O. Wilde "The Picture of Dorian Gray"
I. Goncharov "Oblomov"
I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons"
L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace"
M.A. Sholokhov "The Fate of Man"
D.S. Likhachev "Letters about the good and the beautiful"
A.P. Chekhov "The Man in the Case"
R. Gallego "White on black"
O. de Balzac "Shagreen leather"
I.A. Bunin "The Gentleman from San Francisco"
N.V. Gogol "Overcoat", "Dead Souls"
M.Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time"
V.G. Korolenko "The Blind Musician"
E.I. Zamyatin "We"
V.P. Astafiev "King fish"
B. Polevoy "The Tale of a Real Man"
E. Schwartz "Dragon"
A. Azimov "Positronic Man"
A. de Saint-Exupery "The Little Prince"
