Summary Of Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping The Poor

Helping the Poor
Garrett Hardin puts forward an argument against helping the poor from the essay “Lifeboat Ethics: The Case against Helping the Poor”. He argues that helping the poor cannot decrease population. As we all know, despite efforts made by politicians and other leaders, problems are still affecting the poor in almost all countries around the world. In Hardin’s view, many of the richer countries are seen as which is only capable of carrying so many people. People in poorer countries are “in the water” and want to get into the lifeboat which represents the rich countries. By letting more people on the lifeboat than the boat can handle will drown everyone. Hardin believes that stopping or regulating immigration that it would help feed

It was created with the idea that it would help end hunger for people in the poorer countries. Actually, it does the opposite as Hardin points out, “If poor countries received no food from the outside, the rate of their population would be periodically checked by crop failures and famines. But if the poor can always draw on a world food bank in time of need, their population can continue to grow unchecked, and so will their ‘need’ for aid.” (588). The problem begins then with more people needing help and taking from the foodbank without replenishing it the supply. Hardin states that, “People will have more motivation to draw from it than to add to any common store. The less provident and less able will multiply at the expense of the abler and more provident, bring eventual ruin upon all who share in the commons.”

The wealthy countries cannot help everyone, there would not be enough for themselves. People should always do what they can to help one another out, however we can, ignoring the problem will make more problems. By helping out your fellow man it will to help yourself indirectly. Immigration adds to exhaustion of food, and will destroy resources faster. Although, without immigration we would not have such a diverse culture, or exchanging of different ideas. The creation of the World Food Bank was intended to help the poor around the world, but it is used unfairly. Not everyone can contribute equally, so often countries only take from the bank without giving anything back. On the other hand, without the world food bank people would die. Countries should give to the bank if they have extra, or even if they never have to use it for themselves, it is only right.
Life today cannot compare the real world with a metaphor of the boat. We are not in a boat. We can accomplish more together than alone. As history has shown, immigration is a system that cannot be stopped, but without it we would not have as much diversity in the world. The World Food Bank was created to help the poor around the world even though it is not working out to everyone’s benefit since it is unfairly