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  • Lifeboat Ethics

    Interesting concept i was reading about in my geography book.

    I'm just going to copy the text from it.

    Originally posted by Essentials of World and Regional Geography
    Neo-Malthusian ecologist Garret Hardin introduced lifeboat ethics--the question of whether or not the wealthy should rescue the "drowning" poor--in a distressing but challenging essay. "People turn to me," wrote Hardin, "and say 'my children are starving. It's up to you to keep them alive.' And I say, 'The hell it is. I didn't have those children.'" He described the world not as a single "spacehsip earth" or "global village" with a single carrying capacity, as many environmentalists do, but as a number of distinct "lifeboats," each occupied by the citizens of single countries and each having its own carrying capacity. Each rich nation is a lifeboat comforably seating a few people. The world's poor are in lifeboats so overcrowded that many fall overboard. They swim to the rich lifeboats and beg to brought aboard. What should the passengers of the rich lifeboats do? The choices pose an ethical dilemma.
    Hardin proposed the following: There are 50 rich passengers in a boat with capacity of 60. Around them are 100 poor swimmers who want to come aboard. The rich boaters have three choices. First, they could take in all the swimmers, capsizing the boat with "complete justice, complete catastrophe." Second, as they enjoy an unused excess capacity of 10, they could admit just 10 from the water. But which 10? And what about the margin of comfort that excess capacity allows them? Finally, the rich could prevent any of the doomed from coming aboard, ensuring their own safety, comfort, and survival.
    Translating this metaphor into reality, as an occupant of the rich lifeboat United States, for example, what would you do for the drowning refugees from lifeboat Haiti, Liberia, or Afghanistan?
    So, which would you choose?

    Personally, i'd probably choose 3. Maybe i'm just an arrogant American though :tup:
    Cliffnotes: Read it.
    Black \'94 Trans Am A4- SLP CAI & Loudmouth<br />Red \'93 Firebird A4- Ram Air under the WS6 hood, !cat, exhaust.

  • #2
    Re: Lifeboat Ethics

    Intresting, i like the analogy there. I'd go with 3 and what the guy said "the hell it is!", i ain't saving nobody. Why? Cuz if anyones ever seen an old ship disaster film we all know that when you let one person on the life boat then all the other swimmers swamp it and it ends up dooming EVERYBODY.


    Originally posted by SSMOWS6
    i mean, you can always fly wes out there and since he's a tool sometimes, fashion him into a plow for the maro
    R.I.P. '07 Pats
    Still... 18-1 > 1 and done

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    • #3
      Re: Lifeboat Ethics

      When you're poor you are desparate. You're looked upon as not being human. When you're rich you get to party it up with the Britney Spears out there.

      1998 Firebird . 1989 Firebird XS . 1986 Fiero GT

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      • #4
        Re: Lifeboat Ethics

        I would hate to be surrounded by a bunch of snobby pricks so I would slowly work on getting 149 people in the water and 1 really comfortable non drowning dry person in the lifeboat (me). That's the 4th option, pure selfishness.
        Let's flip a coin. Heads I get tail, Tails I get head.

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        • #5
          Re: Lifeboat Ethics

          Originally posted by Mighty Thor
          When you're poor you are desparate. You're looked upon as not being human. When you're rich you get to party it up with the Britney Spears out there.
          It's all how you look at it. some of the poorest people I have seen were in Chade. These people have nothing but a grass hut and a dirt floor. They take a bath once a year when it rains. But these people were happy. And what little they had they would share. And I did not see anyone that was desparte.

          On the other hand I know people with lots that loose just a little and they are desparte enough to put a gun to their head.
          2000 Firebird A4, 3.42 LSD, K&N, Free Cold Air, PaceSetter, 3" in/out Catco, 3" S-Pipe, 3" Intermidiate Pipe, 2.5" Flowmaster 80

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          • #6
            Re: Lifeboat Ethics

            i save my family, then myself, then friends, and phuck everyone else.
            2002 Firebird<br />2003 Yamaha YZF 600R

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            • #7
              Re: Lifeboat Ethics

              Interesting metaphore.

              You need to find a way to bring some of the swimmers into the boat without risking capsizing it. Those who cannot swim should be pulled from the water first.


              http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/799659

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              • #8
                Re: Lifeboat Ethics

                My uncle (he's married into the family) is Cuban and not too long ago his father commited suicide because he had no money and he was desperate for it to pay his rent and food and other necessitites. He lived in Cuba, where, as many as you know, is a very tough country to live in. I read that passage and I put myself in the position of a very rich man and imagine my uncle's dad come to me for money. Would I "let him get on my lifeboat" along with everyone else? No, I would not. However, what I would do is try to help him along and try to find a solution to his problem. Without the use of this analogy, in real life, there are many ways you can help someone with having to give them the easy way out. Maybe finding him a job will help or something like that. Thats just my 2 cents.
                <a href=\"http://www.cardomain.com/id/1995birdman\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.cardomain.com/id/1995birdman</a>

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                • #9
                  Re: Lifeboat Ethics

                  i kept looking at this post and it finally donned on me that this was one of the people i had to read about in ethics class. it is a interesting concept though.
                  JpX

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                  • #10
                    Re: Lifeboat Ethics

                    It is very interesting, thats why i actually took them time to type it up (2 minutes or something )
                    Black \'94 Trans Am A4- SLP CAI & Loudmouth<br />Red \'93 Firebird A4- Ram Air under the WS6 hood, !cat, exhaust.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Lifeboat Ethics

                      Originally posted by Renzo
                      He lived in Cuba, where, as many as you know, is a very tough country to live in.
                      Actually I don't know, because as you know, our foreign policy towards Cuba keeps us from knowing anything about it :)


                      Originally posted by SSMOWS6
                      i mean, you can always fly wes out there and since he's a tool sometimes, fashion him into a plow for the maro
                      R.I.P. '07 Pats
                      Still... 18-1 > 1 and done

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                      • #12
                        Re: Lifeboat Ethics

                        I would take in babies and the very lightweight so that I could fill the empty spots on the boat more efficiently
                        2k2 camaro, K&N, SLP whisper lid, Konis, AEM, HP Tuners, Angel eyes/Halos, CF SS ram air hood, 4.10s, Zexel Torsen, UMI SFCs, CrossFire, BFGs, Gatorback, Catco, Flows, and TLC! DONT feed the Trolls!

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                        • #13
                          Re: Lifeboat Ethics

                          having been on both sides of this to an extent I have to say I don't know. I have been helped by others (family) in the past and have managed to make a good life for myself and so long as there are no major problems when I start my own family in the near future things should be bright for them.
                          Meanwhile I am currently helping some family members who have seen a downturn that doesn't seem to be getting better. I gladly do what I can for them and if I could do more I would.

                          Back to the original post though, if you really look at it I think that one of the keys to this situation is that those in the lifeboat don't know those in the water. It's also a very cut and dry situation either you totally help or you do nothing. There is no alternative for say teaching them to swim or providing means for them to survive without bringing them in the boat.

                          Not much in life is black or white with no grey in the middle. What about those in the water that hate those in the boat so much that they would glady kill themselves just to take out one of the "rich" people in the boat. Or what about the person in the water who can gather enough followers who would gladly give their lives so that their leader could take over the boat?

                          Should the rich help the poor, my heart says yes but the clear reality of the world is that you can't save everyone and even if you could is it fair to those who would take the handout and use it to better themselves so there is no need for future help vs those who would take the handout and simply sit and wait for another without helping themselves.

                          What if we do nothing and allow natural selection to occur?

                          As our society and life changes we are evolving, no one reading this will likely ever see the effect of evolution but it is happening just not at a pace which we can measure. There are so many outside factors that we cannot control which play into this equation. A big storm could come along and wipe out those in and out of the boat.

                          ahh well those are just some of my random thoughts, good post hopefully we can get some thoughtful responses without a flame fest ensuing
                          -Brad
                          98 Firebird - gone from mod mode to keep it running and useable mode.
                          2000 V-Star Custom 1100
                          If all else fails use a bigger hammer!
                          :rock:

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                          • #14
                            Re: Lifeboat Ethics

                            My country (life boat) would take in hot chicks, those who can fish, and those who can mend holes in a life boat. No charity cases only those that would bring something of worth to my floating superpower.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Lifeboat Ethics

                              Originally posted by black98V6
                              having been on both sides of this to an extent I have to say I don't know. I have been helped by others (family) in the past and have managed to make a good life for myself and so long as there are no major problems when I start my own family in the near future things should be bright for them.
                              Meanwhile I am currently helping some family members who have seen a downturn that doesn't seem to be getting better. I gladly do what I can for them and if I could do more I would.

                              Back to the original post though, if you really look at it I think that one of the keys to this situation is that those in the lifeboat don't know those in the water. It's also a very cut and dry situation either you totally help or you do nothing. There is no alternative for say teaching them to swim or providing means for them to survive without bringing them in the boat.

                              Not much in life is black or white with no grey in the middle. What about those in the water that hate those in the boat so much that they would glady kill themselves just to take out one of the "rich" people in the boat. Or what about the person in the water who can gather enough followers who would gladly give their lives so that their leader could take over the boat?

                              Should the rich help the poor, my heart says yes but the clear reality of the world is that you can't save everyone and even if you could is it fair to those who would take the handout and use it to better themselves so there is no need for future help vs those who would take the handout and simply sit and wait for another without helping themselves.

                              What if we do nothing and allow natural selection to occur?

                              As our society and life changes we are evolving, no one reading this will likely ever see the effect of evolution but it is happening just not at a pace which we can measure. There are so many outside factors that we cannot control which play into this equation. A big storm could come along and wipe out those in and out of the boat.

                              ahh well those are just some of my random thoughts, good post hopefully we can get some thoughtful responses without a flame fest ensuing
                              Wow, good post. You actually understood the metaphor and applied it to real life. :tup: We can measure evolution though. Every baby born is better then the last baby born. Its like an updated human. Did you know that some babies are now being born without wisdom teeth? Did you ever think of why we don't have hair or fur all over our body? Anyways, good post and good points (italicized)
                              Originally posted by HokieBird
                              My country (life boat) would take in hot chicks, those who can fish, and those who can mend holes in a life boat. No charity cases only those that would bring something of worth to my floating superpower.
                              So you'd take in hot foreign girls and low wage mexican illegals.
                              Black \'94 Trans Am A4- SLP CAI & Loudmouth<br />Red \'93 Firebird A4- Ram Air under the WS6 hood, !cat, exhaust.

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