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亨利·戴维·梭罗:瓦尔登湖·摘录 124

亨利·戴维·梭罗《瓦尔登湖》· Walden · 健康 · 领导 · 财富 · 认知

One would think, that a deliberate and practical denial of its authority was the only offence never contemplated by government; else, why has it not assigned its definite, its suitable and proportionate penalty? If a man who has no property refuses but once to earn nine shillings for the State, he is put in prison for a period unlimited by any law that I know, and determined only by the discretion of those who placed him there; but if he should steal ninety times nine shillings from the State, he is soon permitted to go at large again.

出处: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/205
定位:Excerpt 124 · 核对日期:2026-10-19 · 核验:短摘录

白话

人们会以为,政府唯一从未想过的罪行,就是故意且实际地否认它的权威;否则,它为何没有规定明确、合适且相称的惩罚?如果一个人没有财产,仅仅拒绝为政府挣九先令,就会被关进监狱,刑期没有法律限制,只由关他的人随意决定;但如果他从政府偷走九十倍的九先令,却很快就能逍遥法外。这揭露了法律的不公:它严惩不服从,却轻纵真正的盗窃。梭罗借此说明,政府用模糊的惩罚来恐吓良心拒绝者,而真正的罪犯反而被宽容。

上下文

梭罗在《瓦尔登湖》中批评马萨诸塞州政府惩罚不服从者却轻纵盗窃,背景是他因拒税入狱的经历。

健康板块的原文与白话解读仅供阅读学习,不构成医疗建议。

今日一问

你身边有没有“小错重罚、大错轻放”的不公规则?

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