Lecture 1
Thursday, 06 June 2024 18:22
Rich and Poor- Some Facts
EXTREME POVERTY (Harms) ABSOULTE AFFLUENCE (Benefits)
Shortage of food More income to spend on luxuries
Can't save money Choice of food for pleasure of the palate
Can't afford school fees Buy new clothes to look good
Live in an unstable house Have exotic holidays and move houses for better neighbourhood
No access to safe drinking water
Reality of Extreme Poverty
• Absolute poverty remains a miserable condition of life, with inadequate food, shelter, clothing,
sanitation, health services and education
• Disease and death caused by poverty is ignored as "war on terrorism" is prioritised
• Affluent people and nations have WEALTH they could transfer to the poor
The moral equivalent of murder
• By giving less that they could, rich people are allowing more than a billion to continue to live in
conditions of deprivation and to die prematurely
• If then, allowing someone to die is not intrinsically different from killing someone, it would
seem that we are all murderers
Killing Vs Allowing to Die
Five Differences
1. The motivation is different - Shooting someone vs not giving someone aid
(selfishness/indifference)
2. It is not difficult for most for us to act in accordance with a rule against killing people: it is,
on the other hand, very difficult to obey a rule that commands us to save all the lives we can
3. The greater certainty of the outcome of shooting when compared with not giving aid
4. When people are shot there are identifiable individuals who have been harmed but not the
case with poverty
5. It might be said that the plight of the hungry is not my doing and so I cannot be held
responsible for it
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic Motivation
• Comes from within
• When you are intrinsically motivated, you engage in an activity because you enjoy it and get
personal satisfaction from doing it
Extrinsic Motivation
• Arises from external factors
• When you are extrinsically motivated, you do something in order to gain an external reward or
incentives - fame, praise, or money
Argument for the obligation to assist?
Consequentialists
• Plausible Principle: Every problem is a solution (for something not yet known in the client).
But not every problematical behaviour or feeling is a solution to the present situation. This is
important because the question “What is this good for?” has even found use in everyday
communication
Week 6 Social Justice Page 1
Thursday, 06 June 2024 18:22
Rich and Poor- Some Facts
EXTREME POVERTY (Harms) ABSOULTE AFFLUENCE (Benefits)
Shortage of food More income to spend on luxuries
Can't save money Choice of food for pleasure of the palate
Can't afford school fees Buy new clothes to look good
Live in an unstable house Have exotic holidays and move houses for better neighbourhood
No access to safe drinking water
Reality of Extreme Poverty
• Absolute poverty remains a miserable condition of life, with inadequate food, shelter, clothing,
sanitation, health services and education
• Disease and death caused by poverty is ignored as "war on terrorism" is prioritised
• Affluent people and nations have WEALTH they could transfer to the poor
The moral equivalent of murder
• By giving less that they could, rich people are allowing more than a billion to continue to live in
conditions of deprivation and to die prematurely
• If then, allowing someone to die is not intrinsically different from killing someone, it would
seem that we are all murderers
Killing Vs Allowing to Die
Five Differences
1. The motivation is different - Shooting someone vs not giving someone aid
(selfishness/indifference)
2. It is not difficult for most for us to act in accordance with a rule against killing people: it is,
on the other hand, very difficult to obey a rule that commands us to save all the lives we can
3. The greater certainty of the outcome of shooting when compared with not giving aid
4. When people are shot there are identifiable individuals who have been harmed but not the
case with poverty
5. It might be said that the plight of the hungry is not my doing and so I cannot be held
responsible for it
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic Motivation
• Comes from within
• When you are intrinsically motivated, you engage in an activity because you enjoy it and get
personal satisfaction from doing it
Extrinsic Motivation
• Arises from external factors
• When you are extrinsically motivated, you do something in order to gain an external reward or
incentives - fame, praise, or money
Argument for the obligation to assist?
Consequentialists
• Plausible Principle: Every problem is a solution (for something not yet known in the client).
But not every problematical behaviour or feeling is a solution to the present situation. This is
important because the question “What is this good for?” has even found use in everyday
communication
Week 6 Social Justice Page 1
