Lifeboat Ethics Summary

Juan Gurrola
Summary of “Lifeboat Ethics” by Garrett Hardin
6/14/2015
In the article, “Lifeboat Ethics” by Garret Hardin, Garret argues that the only way we will be able to have a foreseeable future is to adapt our actions to those of his lifeboat ethics idea. First he states his ideas on the spaceship metaphor. Garret states that the only way that the spaceship metaphor would work was if someone was leading us and since no one can lead all of us then it isn’t a good one to follow. The metaphor is only good for telling us what our commons are and what our duty is to the ship and to maintain it. He states that it is detrimental for us obtain our rights before carrying on our duties. When our lives are on the line we should do our duties first before obtaining our rights.
He then explains what he believes is a better metaphor. The Lifeboat ethic as he calls it deals with two boats, one that is filled with rich that is not so crowded and the other that is overcrowded. How some from the poor boat want to swim toward the richer boat and hopefully either get in or just take was is handed to them out of pity. Even though if some of the rich get out because they feel sad for the poor ones it still wouldn’t change how the lifeboat is. This is what he feels is a better representation instead of a spaceship.

Garret amplifies the trouble of that the lifeboat faces by talking about reproduction and the different ways both lifeboats passenger reproduce.

To summarize the ones that are on the rich boat reproduce much a slower than those that are not in the rich boat and so if we the rich shared their resources with the poor than it would bring an even worse outcome. With this in mind he brings up the tragedy of the commons and how bad it is for the rich to share. How the idea of a system only works if it doesn’t have selfish people. If everything was equal all it would take to ruin it is just one and the only way for it to succeed is if everyone keeps themselves from getting too

greedy.
To further illustrate his lifeboat ethic idea is by explaining about the world food bank and its ratchet effect it has on our society. Garrett explains how the world food bank is a resource to underdeveloped countries to use it as crutch when they can’t provide for their own country so they never grow by themselves so if they don’t grow and keep on using that crutch they will keep on getting the same problem over and over again hence the name ratchet effect. The problem he uses is overpopulation of the country and the temporary solution is feeding them with the food from somewhere else, once they are fed they produce more offspring and with more offspring they are going to need the extra food again and the problem will never be solved.
Next he talks about the Green Revolution and ecological destruction it causes. In summary this green revolution deals with saving people gives an environmental load to the ecosystem. The more we save the greater the impact there will be in the future due to the increment of population thanks to the rich community.
Lastly Garrett talks about immigration and how it creates a commons. How do to an influx of people we are having an even greater role of harm to ourselves. He concludes that if we don’t keep in check how much we help out the poor and the number of immigrants coming in we will have bigger problems so we must follow the lifeboat ethics.