Garrett Hardin Lifeboat Ethics Analysis

Are you what you say you are: Religious views vs. personal views? “There are around 2.1 billion Christians in the world today and about half of the Christian population are Catholic”(American Catholic 1). Catholicism is the faith, practice, and order of the Roman Catholic Church. However a Catholics religion tends have restrictions on more than the religious views of their congregation but also in their personal and political views. The church has incorporated giving to the poor, protesting euthanasia, and protecting marriage by fighting gay marriage into their teachings. These teachings limit the freedom Catholics and other Christians have in deciding their stance on some political issues as well as personal views. People are faced with …show more content…
Do onto others as you would have them do onto you, the golden rule Christians follow in their day to day lives. In Garrett Hardin’s “Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor” Hardin asks us to think of the world as a life boat with limited space. Many feel guilty for their spot on the life boat due to their personal views or society. “The U.S population increases .8 every year while the other countries increase at a rate of 3.3 per year.” Each country is responsible for its own well being, the poorly managed countries will suffer but learn from experience. “The poor population increases 2.5% yearly while the middle class and upper class population increases at only .6% annually.” This being said the poor population will continue to grow at about four times that of the middle and upper class populations. Some believe just giving to the poor will help solve the problem but what happens when the next generation expects a handout? Why do we not help get these …show more content…
Murder is the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another. But is it murder if given consent by the victim? Assisted suicide is becoming a common practice in many countries this is being supported by the people’s “right-to-die”, However, it is believed that God is the giver and taker of life and his will take precedence over man’s will….Today Americans seem to greedy for the joys and want to leave out the sorrows of life” (Beckman 1), however; just as we would not know cold if there was no warm or dark if there was no light we cannot have joys without sorrow. God has a reason for everything under heaven, yes, even suffering. The supporters and Christians seem to be in constant battle about the controversial topic of euthanasia. The supporters have argued “everyone has a right to do with their own body as they see fit” to this Christians say is a weak argument. Prostitution is illegal they cannot sell their bodies even if that is what they see fit. While each person has a right to life protected by the Declaration of Independence the quality of life is what the supporters argue. When a person begins to feel they are a burden is it fair to keep them alive against their will and have their last memories be memories of feeling useless. Asking to end the suffering isn’t saying they don’t want suffering in life it just means they have suffered enough and they are ready to move on. A