Lifeboat Ethics The Case Against Helping The Poor

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Recommended: The problem with poverty in the world

One of the most important issues facing the world today is helping people in poverty and refugees. This issue is prevalent on a global scale, (add something about how this is a big issue in Hawaii). Is it ethical for Hawaii to share its limited resources to help Syrian refugees given the issue of homelessness? I believe that Hawaii should take in Syrian refugees. However, I believe the state needs to deal with the homelessness issue first. Rich nations may have limited resources, but they can still share some of their space and food with other nations when they are in need of help. This is where Garrett Hardin and his work, “Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor,” enters the scene. Throughout Hardin’s work, he lays out the premise of how each nation is similar to a lifeboat. …show more content…

People are left with decisions whether or not to let other passengers in the lifeboat, knowing that it may overload the sharing of resources and also capsize. Hawaii is an overpopulated state that needs to determine what steps must be taken to ensure future generations do not face the same problem. Global poverty and limited resources are moral issues that nations and states continually face. Empathetic people feel they must do something to solve this problem by helping the homeless and refugees. With Hardin’s lifeboat analogy, he refuses to help people in poverty who are not in the lifeboat. However, Hawaii should allow Syrian refugees in the state because they are people in need of help, regardless if they are not already in the

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