Garrett Hardin argues for a very harsh thesis: we simply should not provide aid to people in poor countries. His argument is consequentialist: he claims that the net result of doing so would be negative -- would in fact be courting large-scale disaster. One of the things that we will notice about Hardin's essay, however, is that whether he is right or wrong, he paints with a very broad brush. This makes it a good essay for the honing of your philosophical skills; you should notice that there are many places where the reasoning procees with less than total care.
Hardin begins with metaphors. He points out that while the metaphor of earth as a grand spaceship has a certain popularity (or did 23 years ago) it is a flawed metaphor…show more content…
Aren't we irresponsible if we don't plan ahead for possible emergencies by leaving ourselves some excess capacity? (Recall that in this metaphor, capacity includes things like supplies.) It should be obvious that this is a dubious metaphor. To begin with (and this will come up again) not all countries are either rich or poor. Furthermore, it is not as clear as Hardin assumes that we lack the resources to save everyone. And the argument from the safety factor may seem dubious. Couldn't we help some people -- even if we select them in a fairly arbitrary way? Leave the safety factor aside. Presumably it is true that we should not give all our "excess" resources away; not planning for emergencies is irresponsible. The main reply that Hardin would make to our doubts is this: even if we have enough resources to help everyone in the short run, we don't have nearly enough to do so in the long run. Why not? Because of the difference in rates of population growth between rich and poor nations. Suppose that in 1974, the U.S. had decided to share its wealth with a group of countries such as Columbia, Venezuala and Pakistan. Suppose that the combined population of the poor countries equaled the total (1974) populationof the U.S.: about 210 million. The populaiton in the U.S. increass at a rate of about .8% per year; the population of those countries increases at a rate of about 3.3% per year. By 2061 -- 87 years later -- the population of the U.S. would
Show More
Related
Justice vs. Reality in "Lifeboat Ethics: the Case against Helping the Poor" by Garrett Hardin
534 Words | 3 Pages
The essay titled "Lifeboat Ethics: the Case against Helping the Poor" by Garrett Hardin, was very interesting. The first part of the essay used a metaphor of the rich people of the earth in a lifeboat and the poor people in the sea drowning. The rich people could only allow a few people in and if they let, too many people in they will sink the boat and all die. The best thing for the rich people to do is not to let anyone in so they will have adequate supplies and space for them to survive. Later
Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping The Poor - Garrett Hardin What Should A Billionaire Give-and What Should You? - Peter Singer
3380 Words | 14 Pages
Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping The Poor - Garrett Hardin What Should A Billionaire Give-and What Should You? - Peter Singer One of the most important issues facing the world today is the issue of the poor. There are many things that can be done about this issue, however much of the world is torn between wanting to help and not knowing how to go about it. This is the issue that is presented in the two essays - Garrett Hardin’s “Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping The Poor,” and
Read More
The Effective Concept of Lifeboat Ethics Essay
1482 Words | 6 Pages
Lifeboat Ethics is a metaphor for the process of wealth and resource distribution as described by ecologist Garrett Hardin. In 1974, he published an article called, “Lifeboat Ethics: The Case against Helping the Poor,” that outlines his reasons that the wealthy nations of the world should not be wholly responsible for supporting the needs of the poor. Donald Kennedy and William Clark both wrote articles in regard to the concept of lifeboat ethics and the tragedy of the commons. In the article, Hardin
Lifeboat Ethics By Garret Hardin And A Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift
935 Words | 4 Pages
Lifeboat ethics by Garret Hardin and a modest proposal by Jonathan Swift Garrett Hardin in 'Lifeboat Ethics: The Case against the Poor Garrett Hardin describes about how the well-off states are in the lifeboat and the deprived states are swimming in the sea. He also tells about how the US facilitates other states. Hardin thinks that if the administration remains serving other states and letting citizens in then America will also sink. We must encourage them if we desire to save at least part of
Explanation:
