Analyze both stories. Is the author's suggestions a good solution to solving a problem - Essay Example

On the other hand, the Houyhnhnms see themselves as superior to the Yahoos because they are more rational, thus giving the former the right to have power over the latter’s life and death (Lemke, Martin, Fuentes, and Swift 47). Justifying Infanticide depicts how Singer sees himself as a rational Houyhnhnm who should have a power to decide over the life and death of those considered non-humans, or those who are not yet humans. However, Swift’s aim is to make people realize that humans are indeed Yahoos with pure genetic composition and the propensity towards sensual pleasures, but are also Houyhnhnms with rational thinking and the propensity towards oversimplifications and ideas.

In Justifying Infanticide, Singer separated these two --- intelligence and incarnation --- by referring to newborns not as persons, but merely pain-receptors having no psychological association to its future personhood (33). Therefore, if one follows this line of reasoning, newborns are Yahoos whose life and death are under the decision of the superior Houyhnhnms. A Modest Proposal is entirely different since it is a satirical exaggeration that states selling the children as food to rich people may alleviate the poor parents’ economic situation (Swift 13).

Justifying Infanticide Justifying Infanticide has a utilitarian root that reinforces the concept of “doing the greatest good for the greatest number.” It says that a deed is made moral if the end justifies the means. In line with this thought, Singer theorizes that eliminating a certain percentage of the population is acceptable if justified by the situation or the result it offers (34-5). According to the utilitarian point of view, objections from people who perceive that killing a person is morally incorrect are mostly based on emotions.

Utilitarianism asserts the belief that reason should be the main basis of ethics, so it means that infanticide can be justified by reason in some cases, thus be deemed ethical (Sloane 47-8). For a clearer definition of terms, infanticide is the intentional killing of an infant for reasons ranging from partiality to a specific gender to control of population (Vehmas 38). Utilitarian Peter Singer provides the most controversial defense of infanticide. For example, Singer states that the costs to families and societies and the quality of life in caring for children with specific disabilities entail more effort but provides less positive results (35).

This may be a controversial stance, but on a realistic viewpoint, the child will live a life that is considered unhappy or unwanted by most people. This is one case where infanticide is considered humane (Sloane 48). One great difficulty, however, is in deciding when this is justifiable because there is always the argument that no one can really say when a certain life is undesirable other than that very person. However, one strong defense of infanticide in the utilitarian standpoint is the argument against the suffering infant whose medical case is beyond the scientific capacity to cure (Vehmas 39).

For Singer, it is more altruistic to allow parents to choose to end their and their child’s suffering through euthanasia (36). A Modest Proposal The lack of compassion towards the poverty-stricken citizens is the target of Swift’