Hardin Essay Questions 2
Varshini Pabba
6/28/2015
ENGWR 302
8:30-11:40
Lifeboat Ethics: The Case of Helping the Poor Questions
1. Garrett Hardin mentions the various ways about how the carrying capacity of Earth exceeded. These include the increase of population, World food banks, overuse of the environment, increased pollution, etc. Some other factors other than the ones mentioned by the writer are better medical facilities, stress on global water supplies, exhaustion of fossil fuels, etc.
2. The population on Earth is analogous to the population on the lifeboat. Like the rich passengers on the boat, the developed countries created their place on the lifeboat of planet Earth by creating a sense of stability in their population. But the underdeveloped countries are the people floating in the water around the boat with no means to accommodate their growing population on the lifeboat of planet Earth.
3. The word “ethics” in the title of Hardin’s essay refers to the reality of the threatening consequences of overpopulation. Hardin reasons that the results of overusing natural resources to provide for the world causes the population to increase at a rapid rate. The ethical principle that Hardin believes should guide the passenger’s conduct in lifeboat Earth is limiting the provisions to helpless countries to control their population.
4. “The tragedy” and “the commons” in what Hardin calls “the tragedy of the commons” (para. 15-17) refers to the overloading of the common world on common resources such as land, air water and oceanic fisheries. This also includes the ruination of the nature.
5. When Hardin mentions the phrase “a truly humanitarian program” (para. 22) to alleviate future problems of hunger and starvation, he refers to the World food supply program. Hardin believes that a World Food Bank would aggravate, rather than alleviate the problem because of the reaction that resulted from providing the third-world countries with resources to improve many livelihoods. The results of
6/28/2015
ENGWR 302
8:30-11:40
Lifeboat Ethics: The Case of Helping the Poor Questions
1. Garrett Hardin mentions the various ways about how the carrying capacity of Earth exceeded. These include the increase of population, World food banks, overuse of the environment, increased pollution, etc. Some other factors other than the ones mentioned by the writer are better medical facilities, stress on global water supplies, exhaustion of fossil fuels, etc.
2. The population on Earth is analogous to the population on the lifeboat. Like the rich passengers on the boat, the developed countries created their place on the lifeboat of planet Earth by creating a sense of stability in their population. But the underdeveloped countries are the people floating in the water around the boat with no means to accommodate their growing population on the lifeboat of planet Earth.
3. The word “ethics” in the title of Hardin’s essay refers to the reality of the threatening consequences of overpopulation. Hardin reasons that the results of overusing natural resources to provide for the world causes the population to increase at a rapid rate. The ethical principle that Hardin believes should guide the passenger’s conduct in lifeboat Earth is limiting the provisions to helpless countries to control their population.
4. “The tragedy” and “the commons” in what Hardin calls “the tragedy of the commons” (para. 15-17) refers to the overloading of the common world on common resources such as land, air water and oceanic fisheries. This also includes the ruination of the nature.
5. When Hardin mentions the phrase “a truly humanitarian program” (para. 22) to alleviate future problems of hunger and starvation, he refers to the World food supply program. Hardin believes that a World Food Bank would aggravate, rather than alleviate the problem because of the reaction that resulted from providing the third-world countries with resources to improve many livelihoods. The results of