声音简介
This marginal-cost argument applies the same way in choosing right and wrong:it addresses the third question I discuss with my students,of how to live a life of integrity— and stay out of jail.The marginal cost of doing something“just this once”always seems to be negligible, but the full cost will typically be much higher. Yet unconsciously,we will naturally employ the marginal-cost doctrine in our personal lives.A voice in our head says,“Look, I know that as a general rule, most people shouldn't do this. But in this particular extenuating circumstance, just this once,it's okay.”And the voice in our head seems to be right; the price of doing something wrong “just this once” usually appears alluringly low. It suckers you in, and you don't see where that path is ultimately headed or the full cost that the choice entails.
Recent years have offered plenty of examples of people who were extremely well-respected by their colleagues and peers falling from grace because they made this mistake. The political arena is littered with examples of people at the top of their game getting caught doing something that would never have crossed their minds when they first decided they wanted to serve their country. Insider-trading scandals have rocked nearly every generation of Wall Street titans. Scores of athletes, who had been worshipped by youngsters all over the world,have been caught abusing steroids or exhibiting scandalous personal behavior, sometimes losing their entire careers as a result. Olympic champions have been stripped of their titles, their medals
returned. Reporters for major national newspapers have been caught outrageously fabricating details in articles, amid high expectations and deadline pressures to get great stories.All of those people surely began their careers with a true passion for what they were doing. No rising young athlete imagines that he or she will need to find ways to cheat to stay on top.Athletes believe they can work hard enough to earn their success.But then they are faced with that first opportunity to try something that might help them get an edge.
一连串情有可原的情况
这种边际成本的论点同样适用于选择对错方面:它解决了我与学生讨论的第三个问题，即如何过一种正直的生活——并且远离监狱。“仅此一次”用边际成本解决问题，似乎无关紧要，但通常总成本会高得多。但是，在个人生活中，我们还会无意识地自然运用边际成本理论。我们脑海中有个声音，“听着，我知道一般来说，大多数人不应该这么做。但在这种特殊的情有可原的情况下，就做这一次，没关系的。我们脑中的声音似乎是对的；“就这一次”做错事的代价通常看起来很低。所以把你吸了进去，你看不到这条路最终通向何方，也看不到这个选择需要付出的全部代价。
近年来，有很多例子表明，那些深受同事和同龄人尊敬的人因为犯了这个错误而跌下神坛。政治舞台上充斥着这些例子:处于权力巅峰的人被发现做了一些他们最初决定要为国家服务时从未想过的事情。内幕交易丑闻几乎震撼了每一个时代的华尔街巨头。许多被全世界年轻人崇拜的运动员被发现滥用类固醇或个人行为可耻，有时甚至失去他们的整个职业生涯。奥运冠军被剥夺了头衔和奖牌。全国主流报纸的记者被发现在文章中肆无忌惮地捏造细节，在高期望和截稿压力下试图制造轰动效应。所有这些人一开始肯定都是带着真正的热情，开始他们的职业生涯的。没有一个冉冉升起的年轻运动员不会想着通过作弊来保持领先。运动员相信自己可以通过足够的努力获得成功。但是当他们第一次有机会去尝试可能帮助他们获得优势的东西的时候。
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