Life Boat Ethical Analysis
Aristotle, a famous Greek philosopher, had a theory of trying to simplify the task of arguing by dividing and classifying arguments into three types. The three types are called Logos or logic-base, Pathos or emotion based, and Ethos or credibility based. The two classic essays, “Life Boat Ethics” by Garrett Hardin and “A Modest Proposal” by Johnathan Swift, the writers make good suggestions with these types of arguments over world population and world famine.
While Hardin relies strongly on his credentials as a source of knowledge for him to be an expert in human population. For example, Hardin refers to questions of who do we save, when do we save them, how should we save them, and why should we save them. He uses this as moral and ethical standpoint in this situation. Like Hardin, Swift also realizes this same dilemma, but about a few centuries before Hardin. Swift shows that not all “experts” are credible sources. In his version he uses the example of “I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy …show more content…
Hardin suggested a “world food bank” to supply food equally to every nation as a means to counter the famine issue. He makes examples of how Overloading the Environment may be in danger. Hardin says “Food can, perhaps, be significantly increased to meet a growing demand. But what about clean beaches, unspoiled forests, and solitude? If we satisfy a growing population's need for food, we necessarily decrease its per capita supply of the other resources needed by men.” Hardin also refers to an essay titled Chinese Fish and Miracle Rice saying, “as an ancient Chinese proverb goes: Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach him how to fish and he will eat for the rest of his
While Hardin relies strongly on his credentials as a source of knowledge for him to be an expert in human population. For example, Hardin refers to questions of who do we save, when do we save them, how should we save them, and why should we save them. He uses this as moral and ethical standpoint in this situation. Like Hardin, Swift also realizes this same dilemma, but about a few centuries before Hardin. Swift shows that not all “experts” are credible sources. In his version he uses the example of “I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy …show more content…
Hardin suggested a “world food bank” to supply food equally to every nation as a means to counter the famine issue. He makes examples of how Overloading the Environment may be in danger. Hardin says “Food can, perhaps, be significantly increased to meet a growing demand. But what about clean beaches, unspoiled forests, and solitude? If we satisfy a growing population's need for food, we necessarily decrease its per capita supply of the other resources needed by men.” Hardin also refers to an essay titled Chinese Fish and Miracle Rice saying, “as an ancient Chinese proverb goes: Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach him how to fish and he will eat for the rest of his