Critique of Sachs’s “The $10 Solution”
Wissam Harb
201004772
Critique of Sachs’s “The $10 Solution”
“The $10 Solution” is an article written by Jeffrey D. Sachs, published in the Times Magazine in January 2007. Sachs is the director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and the author of “The End of Poverty”. His article tackles malaria in Africa, a serious disease that’s jeopardizing the lives of millions of African children. Sachs provides a practical and low cost solution to malaria. Similarly, I believe that if those distributers would volunteer to hang the nets in African homes themselves, malaria prevention would have higher rates.
In his article “The $10 Solution”, Sachs argues for a cheap and practical solution for the problem of malaria in Africa. The author starts by highlighting the drastic effects of this disease in economical, educational and demographical terms, in the short run and the long run. Next, Sachs suggests an effective and low-budget solution to malaria due to technological advances in medicine. The solution suggested is the insecticide-treated bed net. The author then explains how to successfully implement his idea in terms of finance and logistics. This is where we take part, contributing $10 each to raise $3 billion. In addition, the help of Red Cross volunteers is needed to insure distribution and village-based training. Finally, education about malaria is important for the entire world, raising awareness to unite and fight against malaria.
Moreover, concerning the language in the article, Sachs shows some drawbacks. For example, in paragraph three, he says “scare away business investment”. These are unclearly defined terms, not only because there is no proof, but also because the author is not being specific about the decrease in business investment. In addition, I found another type of drawback in the last paragraph. There’s a logical fallacy, more specifically a non-sequitur argument where the author provides a conclusion that doesn’t follow the
201004772
Critique of Sachs’s “The $10 Solution”
“The $10 Solution” is an article written by Jeffrey D. Sachs, published in the Times Magazine in January 2007. Sachs is the director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and the author of “The End of Poverty”. His article tackles malaria in Africa, a serious disease that’s jeopardizing the lives of millions of African children. Sachs provides a practical and low cost solution to malaria. Similarly, I believe that if those distributers would volunteer to hang the nets in African homes themselves, malaria prevention would have higher rates.
In his article “The $10 Solution”, Sachs argues for a cheap and practical solution for the problem of malaria in Africa. The author starts by highlighting the drastic effects of this disease in economical, educational and demographical terms, in the short run and the long run. Next, Sachs suggests an effective and low-budget solution to malaria due to technological advances in medicine. The solution suggested is the insecticide-treated bed net. The author then explains how to successfully implement his idea in terms of finance and logistics. This is where we take part, contributing $10 each to raise $3 billion. In addition, the help of Red Cross volunteers is needed to insure distribution and village-based training. Finally, education about malaria is important for the entire world, raising awareness to unite and fight against malaria.
Moreover, concerning the language in the article, Sachs shows some drawbacks. For example, in paragraph three, he says “scare away business investment”. These are unclearly defined terms, not only because there is no proof, but also because the author is not being specific about the decrease in business investment. In addition, I found another type of drawback in the last paragraph. There’s a logical fallacy, more specifically a non-sequitur argument where the author provides a conclusion that doesn’t follow the