Helping The Poor

In “Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor”, Garrett Hardin bases his essay on Thomas Malthus’ theory of population dynamics that states that population grows geometrically (1, 2, 4, 6, 8) while food supply grows arithmetically (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and that if we don’t balance the two out, we will eventually run out of food to sustain the population growth. Hardin uses a lifeboat as a metaphor to illustrate the folly of assisting the poor, stating that taking people in beyond the capacity of the lifeboat will doom not only those rescued – but the rescuers as well. He is saying it is not ethically or intellectually sound to help the poor out of a misplaced sense of guilt or responsibility, because in so doing you destine the poor to a life of misery and poverty, and inhibit the quality of life for those who are rich. Mr. Hardin is saying that it would be better to allow the poor to die out and learn through natural consequences to limit their population through famine and other limiting factors that would arise when population outpaces food supply. The ethical thing to do, according to Hardin, is to let those outside of the lifeboat drown so that those in the lifeboat will have a better chance of survival and a higher quality of life.
I think this argument sees itself played out in nature through the ebb and flow of population and food supply, but I think as human beings we have the capacity to have
compassion and empathy for those less fortunate than ourselves, which distinguishes us from the animal kingdom and the survival of the fittest framework. I agree that in some
ways our assistance can be enabling rather than encouraging people to overcome poverty and famine through hard work and ingenuity such as communities helping themselves through education, learning a trade, and those of us with surplus resources supplementing that process.
One organization that comes to mind is Bead For Life, where women in Uganda, Africa are taught how to make beads from strips of magazine paper and create necklaces, bracelets and earrings. The jewelry is then sent to America to be sold and the money is brought back to their community where it is used for food, education and the opportunity of home ownership. Those of us who have disposable income can well afford to spend $40.00 on jewelry in order to help those who are trying to help themselves, and we can have the sense of satisfaction that comes from making a difference in the lives of those who are facing troubled times.
If those who spend their efforts writing and propagating the fallacy that human life is nothing more than something to be tossed overboard because they are a drain on resources turned their energy toward solutions similar to Bead For Life, I think we could make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves and help them to become assets in not only their community, but in the world around them as well. My metaphor for the world would be a global village rather than a lifeboat, and in that village we would share resources, ideas and support in order to sustain our sense of community, which is seen with the people involved with the Bead For Life process.
If it were in my power, I would give Mr. Hardin the opportunity to trade places with the life of an individual outside of the lifeboat. I would give him the chance to experience what it is like to be poor and powerless and have your fate in the hands of others who think of you as nothing more than something to be disposed of. Then I would bring in an organization such as Bead For Life, help him and his community, and see what happens to his philosophy of lifeboat ethics after that experience. I would hope that his worldview would be radically changed after spending time outside of the lifeboat, and that we would be able to welcome him into the global community.