WEEK 10: THE ETHICS OF POVERTY.
Around 600 million people in the world live on $2 a day, which feels like it is impossible. Approximately 8% of the world’s inhabitants live in extreme poverty, which means they live on less than $1.90 a day or even less. There are some causes why poverty still exists first being inequality and marginalization.( McNeill, 2009)Inequality may be described as a systematic barrier which leaves a particular group of a community without a voice. Where if a group is not involved in decision making, they are left with barely any opportunity. The same case applies to marginalization, where a specific group of people have limited access to the resources to live a productive life.
Conflict is the second reason why poverty still exists. Large cases of disputes lead to violence which ends up destroying the society’s infrastructure and causing people to migrate with nothing left in their pockets. Small incidents of violence also end up causing negative impacts on the community. For example, where farmers get worried about their crops getting stolen, they will not invest in planting, making them farmers get poor. Lastly, hunger, malnutrition and stunting are reasons why poverty still exists. (McNeill, 2009) For instance, if one does not get enough food to eat, they will lack the strength and also energy to work. This makes them prone to malnutrition and also expose them to illnesses, thus making them lack the energy to work. Eventually, they lack the energy to provide themselves with basic needs.
One of the ways many ways to reduce global poverty include; to develop and implement programs which are rapid and ensure the sustainable economic development of guidelines and programs. (Bonal, p.97) Such programs should look into areas such as health, learning, nourishment and also hygiene. Poor people should actively participate in these programs to help them grow and be productive. Second, step it so improve on managing of water and other natural resources. Most of the people who are poor depend on the primary natural resources for their daily maintenance. (Bonal, p.100)Thus the government should ensure that they manage the natural resources more equitably so that the poor people can access the basic needs. Lastly, convincing the poor people to invest and also implement on agricultural programs will also help to eradicate poverty, since they will be able to get food thus gaining the energy to work and be more productive.
Poverty and health are inseparably intertwined. Poverty causes ill health and is also a barrier to gaining access to health care. They are related financially in that poor people cannot pay for quality food and health care, which is required for good health. (Alsan, p.112) Also, a lack of information concerning ways of promoting quality health is an additional way in which health is related to poverty. Also, poor people may lack enough money and even get low income to access health care making their health deteriorate in a bad way.
According to Kant’s view of ethical justice, he states that we should act humanly. Kant’s theory of humanism relates to poverty in that there are positive duties of justice. First is to focus on the positive task to help others and especially those who are in need. This duty is different from all other positive duties to oneself. (Gilabert, p.537) That is duties to promote an individual’s moral perfection and also developing one’s powers. Kant focuses more on helping others and especially poor people who are less privileged and in need. On the other hand, the theory of utilitarianism states that if we do not do an act in a way that promotes happiness, then the action is deemed to be wrong. ( Lichtenberg,2014) Thus we should perform acts such as preventing people from suffering which is caused by poverty; however, if it results in unhappiness, we should avoid it. ( Gilabert, 2012) The rule further states that we must help the poor. However, we only help as much if everyone else has joined in to help the poor people as it would maximize happiness to all the parties which are involved.
In conclusion, poverty is a global ethical concern; it is an issue we are all concerned with because poverty is witnessed across many nations. The reason why poverty is a worldwide concern is that following, the theory of utilitarianism it is our duty and responsibility to help the poor if everyone contributes as it would result in maximizing happiness to the parties involved. It would also help in eradicating poverty. Kant’s theory of justice also supports poverty as a global concern because he focuses more on helping others rather than yourself. He mainly points out that we should help those who are in need. I believe in the act of doing good and acting kind towards others in society. Thus we should continuously help to eradicate global poverty by lending a hand to those who are less privileged and in need. My view blends with Kant’s idea since both ideas involve helping those who are in need by acting kind and also humanely treating others. Since the beginning of the term, my belief remains the same on the acting kind and lending a hand of help to those who are in dire need of it.
Works Cited.
Alsan, Marcella M., et al. “Poverty, global health, and infectious disease: lessons from Haiti and Rwanda.” Infectious Disease Clinics 25.3 (2011): 611-622.
Bonal, Xavier, and Aina Tarabini. “Global Solutions for Global Poverty?: The World Bank Education Policy and the Anti-Poverty Agenda.” Re-Reading Education Policies. Brill Sense, 2009. 96-111.
Gilabert, Pablo. “The duty to eradicate global poverty: positive or negative?.” Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 7.5 (2005): 537-550.
Gilabert, Pablo. From global poverty to global equality: A philosophical exploration. Oxford University Press on Demand, 2012.
Lichtenberg, Judith. Distant strangers: Ethics, psychology, and global poverty. Cambridge University Press, 2014.
McNeill, Desmond, and Asunción Lera StClair. Global poverty, ethics and human rights: The role of multilateral organizations. Routledge, 2009.