University:
Manchester University
Course:
INTD 343 | Philosophy of Mind
Academic year:

2019
Views:

482

Pages:

11
Author:

Clint W.

Are We Living on a Lifeboat? Garrett and Jane Hardin Garrett (age 88) and Jane (age 81) Hardin died September 14, 2003, in a double suicide. Jane was suffering from ALS. Garrett was an emeritus professor of human ecology (UC Santa Barbara). Malthus on Welfare A man who is born into a world ... if he cannot get subsistence from his parents on whom he has a just demand and if the society does not want his labour, has no claim of right to the smallest portion of food, and, in fact, has no business to be where he is. At nature's mighty feast there is no vacant cover for him. She tells him to be gone, and will quickly execute her own orders, if he does not work upon the compassion of some of her guests. If these guests get up and make room for him, other intruders immediately appear demanding the same favour. — Thomas Robert Malthus (1776-1834) Essay on the Principle of Population, 2nd ed. Lifeboat Ethics Should rich nations help poor nations, according to Hardin? Why or why not? What do you think? A Lifeboat’s Central Problem How do we respond to swimmers wanting to board our boat? (1) Let all swimmers board (Christian/Marxist) (2) Admit swimmers until we reach our “margin of safety” (3) Admit no swimmers. What do you think? Metaphors We Live By What are the differences between the spaceship and the lifeboat metaphors? Which features does each highlight? [facilitators: start the discussion, keep it on track] [monitors: make sure everyone’s ideas are heard] [recorders: write down your group answers on the board] Carrying Capacity Kinds of Carrying Capacity Physical: lifeboats and elevators. Biological: individuals of some non-human species per acre. Socio-economic: number of humans per acre? Population Growth How Generous Are We? Peter Singer: “The ignorance of Americans about their nation's role in aiding the world’s poorest people is widespread, and it has been shown in many surveys. Asked by the Gallup International Association in 2005 whether the United States gives more, less, or about the same amount of aid as other wealthy countries do in terms of percentage of national income, only nine percent of Americans gave the correct answer; 42 percent of the respondents said the nation gave more than four times as much as was true at the time. At the extreme, eight percent of Americans thought that the United States gave more than a quarter of its national income as aid, a portion that is more than 100 times as great as the actual amount.” [“America’s Shame,” Chronicle of Higher Education (13 March 2009)] Official Development Aid-2008 Official Development Aid-2000