中國與西方為其理想的司法者所造的形像不同。中國的是鐵面三眼的包公，西方的是幪眼持秤的女神。本文首先分析了司法之目的（追尋個案判決的妥當、同類案件判決的協和以及終極的社會理想），其次討論了中西文化特質對於追尋此目的之方法所生的歧異（比較詳細地闡述了中國為了追尋此目的在理論、制度和實踐方面的演變過程），然後談到司法工作本質上的限制和司法者的功能，指出中西兩個圖像表達的期望都有問題，應該加以修正。

The Chinese image of an ideal judge (an upright and wise official) is different from that of the West (a blindfolded goddess holding a scale and a sword). Both represented unrealistic expectations. This paper analyzes the background of the creation of these images and the theoretical and practical difficulties these “ideal judges” encounter.