Lifeboat Ethics Reaction - Prof Barnes ENGL 101 Lifeboat...

Prof. Barnes
ENGL 101
09/05/2012
Lifeboat Ethics Reaction
Garrett Hardin strikes up the bold case against helping the poor, and I am
with him one hundred percent of the way. Hardin’s argument states that the world’s
recourses are very limited. The earth is like a lifeboat with one third of the world
who is the wealthiest is in the boat while the poorer two thirds are drowning in the
water hopelessly. Our only means of survival demands that we must govern our
actions by the ethics of a lifeboat.
Garrett Hardin starts off the case with the ignorant statement that
environmentalists use saying the earth is like a “spaceship” trying to persuade
countries, industries and people to stop wasting and polluting our natural resources.
We all share life on this planet, no single person or institution has the right to
destroy, waste, or use more than a fair share of its resources. Hardin quickly
dismantles this by addressing if the earth is a spaceship, a spaceship needs a captain
and by no means does the earth have a captain. Our only leader would be the United
Nations who lets be honest, doesn’t get anything done and in times of crisis