Poverty and Ethics

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes Hardin's essay "Lifeboat Ethics: The Case of the Poor." The paper illustrates the example brought by Hardin, comparing the earth to a small lifeboat with minimal space and many people drowning. It explains the moral dilemma caused: by attempting to save lots of people, everyone will perish, and by deciding to save a few -arises an ethical dilemma of who to save and who to leave to drown. The paper describes Hardin's analysis of this hypothesis to the issues involved in American aid to poor countries.

From the Paper:

"In his essay entitled "Lifeboat Ethics: The Case of the Poor," Garrett Hardin argues against helping the poor. In his argument, he makes a reference to the metaphor of the earth being a spaceship. Under this analogy, used by idealists and those who seek to extend resources to all, everyone would have an inert duty to protect the earth's resources. Therefore, if everyone protected the earth's resources, they would also have a right to equally share the earth's resources. However, Hardin argues that perhaps it is too idealistic to suggest that the rich and poor alike should be able to equally share resources. He argues that it is not possible for a wealthy country like the United States to help the poor and still provide for its own people. If the earth were a spaceship, he argues, there would be one captain in charge (Hardin). Clearly there is no single entity powerful enough to dole out resources equally to all in the world."

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• Research Paper # 108456 : "Causes of Poverty in America"

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