Governance and International Relations: Lifeboat Ethics - Term Paper Example

Governance and International Relations – Lifeboat Ethics It is a fact that the world over the role of lifeboat ethics is a significant one. This can easily be seen within the developing as well as the developed nations where the divide is getting bigger with each passing day. This divide is the basis of much talk within the ranks of the economists and gurus who understand ethics and how it should be implemented across the board1. What is even more interesting is the fact that surrounds the determination of resources for the developing nations as they seem to go beyond a certain level of growth within their respective regimes. It is a fact that the world is not that rosy for the underdeveloped countries which essentially have to make both ends meet to ensure that they are on the right path – geared to achieve results which are attainable and positive along the way2. On the same token, this paper gives a good look at the lifeboat ethics which indeed is a way to find out where the resource distribution should be acknowledged and how this would mean sheer value for all the nations in the world. Philosophically, it is quintessential to understand the phenomenon behind the lifeboat ethics. This is a term that was proposed by Garrett Hardin, who was an ecologist in the year 1974. Hardin used this metaphor to describe a situation where a lifeboat consisted of 50 people which had room for another 10 individuals to get on board. Since this lifeboat is on the move as it is in the ocean where hundreds of swimmers surround it, the ‘ethics’ element comes in when the dilemma arises with regards to the swimmers3. This dilemma discusses whether these swimmers should be taken on board the lifeboat or left as they are at the moment. Hardin believed that the lifeboat metaphor could easily be compared alongside the Spaceship Earth model which consisted of resource distribution where he asserted that a spaceship would be led by a single leader who is essentially the captain of the spaceship. However, the earth lacks a captain4. He also opined that the tragedy of the commons came about from the spaceship model which was completely different from the lifeboat premise where rich nations were seen as the lifeboats while poor countries were termed as the swimmers5. In the same setting, Hardin’s lifeboat ethics resembles closely with the environmental ethics, utilitarianism, resource depletion talks and so on. He uses lifeboat ethics to find out the queries regarding policies such as immigration, foods banks and foreign assistance in the form of aid. Purely from a philosophical perspective, the aspect of lifeboat ethics should be understood with regards to how the policies are drafted for the rich and the poor nations at the same time. This means that their domains are drawn up in such a way that there are successful touch points for the rich countries while extreme losses for the poor ones. This divide is something that has a huge say in deciding who is going wrong and which country needs to pull up its socks to bring harmony within this world in terms of resource allocation6. Hence lifeboat ethics is a good enough measure of finding out how ethical domains should be understood within the basis of bringing about equality so that no one misses out on the resources which are available throughout the world. In terms of the philosophical undertakings, it is only with the presence of adequate policies that things will get resolved and that too in an amicable fashion for all the nations in the world – without any discrimination whatsoever. Hence attention should be paid towards the philosophical side as well because these remain significant to comprehend within the relevant thick of things. When one discusses the tangent of lifeboat ethics, it is also of paramount essence to gain an insight into what the fallacies are. The future is never known with a particular degree of certainty which is indeed required for the problem at hand. Also there is the basis of no one being likely to be in the situation which has been described. In addition, the shortage of lifeboat space is due to the carelessness of someone within the equation7. Lastly, it is unlikely that anyone would leave the boat under such a chaotic situation. These fallacies therefore put to doubt the theory which has been put forward but then again every theory has its merits and demerits which must be understood clearly and without any problems. These fallacies must not limit the potentials that lifeboat ethics has within its entirety. It is therefore a requirement on the part of the lifeboat ethics domains that understanding and empathy should be inculcated across the board so that there are no concerns raised by anyone8. However, the chaotic scenarios can arise anytime because these are least expected and their occurrence is not predicted by anyone beforehand. The fallacies should thus be minimized as much as possible to reap the best possible results in the end which is something that the developing as well as the developed nations need to understand so as to bring about a global wellness strategy to the fore. It is a fact that the aspect of lifeboat ethics would cease to exist if there are no developed or developing nations within this world. However, this can never take place because resource allocation is a serious concern which would remain always. The obligations that developed countries have over developing ones needs to be analyzed and understood. This is because it sets the basis for a proper comprehension of the lifeboat ethics philosophy that is being talked about here9. When the rich nations or say the already developed ones are employing practices to give enough resources to the poor countries (the underdeveloped ones), then this means that a global distribution of wealth is coming about in a proper manner. But then again this is hardly seen since the policies are not drafted as such. Usually it has been witnessed that the rich nations have got more mileage when it comes to policies while the poor ones have lost out on this tangent wholly. This is unbecoming of the entire philosophy that surrounds the divide between the developed and the developing nations. This rational should be given more significance by the world’s top governing organizations which are playing a huge role at removing the disparities that have come about with the passage of time, so that due success could be seen and deciphered easily10. The divide between the developing and the developed nations seems to surface whenever the world’s leading organizations like the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and others get highlighted for all the wrong reasons11. This is because they are either not fulfilling their due responsibilities or simply lacking the instinct that shall make them honest with their respective publics. This is a point that is remarked as a difficult one for the countries that are at the receiving end of such a situation. Both the developed and the developing nations are affected by the lifeboat ethics analysis and discussion. The lifeboat ethics domain is dependent on the role of the developed nations more than the empathy that the underdeveloped nations would like to have within their folds12. This is because the developed nations are in a better position to decide how things will shape up for the rest of the world and what they must do since their role is stronger and their responsibility a bigger one. The empathy that the developing nations are looking forward to receiving is also reliant on how well the problems have been resolved and what kind of changes are expected in the long range scheme of things13. This is the basis of finding out how issues will be taken care of and what the lifeboat ethics study will actually teach one and all regarding the divide between the developing and the developed nations in the world. The mediators between the developed and the underdeveloped nations must play their role well so that the depletion of resources does not happen on a natural basis14. This artificial shortage can be avoided when there are more checks and balances, and when things get done in an automatic fashion more than anything else. Sanity will eventually prevail once the developed nations start learning that they have a relevant duty on their heads and they must commit towards a global good which is much needed at the end of the day. After all, lifeboat ethics is indeed a very crude way of putting things because the developed nations have obligations which need to be fulfilled in order to reap the best possible results15. This will solve the quandaries that the underdeveloped nations find themselves plunged within from time to time, which leads to famines, artificial shortages of basic grains, food items, edibles, life stock and so on16. In line with the same discussion, it is pertinent to comprehend that lifeboat ethics teaches quite a great amount of new models to the world. For economists, there are new pathways which can be understood while for politicians, it is a whole new ball game that they can analyze and take a leaf out of their own book. What remains significant to be seen is the way under which lifeboat ethics is able to garner support for the developing countries so that these can sustain their own selves and make a name that is their own within this world. The lifeboat ethics premise is even more significant because it answers quite a few questions regarding the role of the governments within such developed countries17. It takes into account how these state machineries are being ineffective at handling the disputes which come up every now and then, and how they are lagging far behind in devising constructive policies which are much needed in entirety. Thus the obligations on the part of the developed nations becomes more because they are the ones who are now responsible for any financial issues that the underdeveloped nations will be facing18. It will also decide where anomalies exist and how these will be taken care of once proper procedures are employed across the board. In the end, it would be fair to state that lifeboat ethics no matter how crude it is in its right, it is still a very effective model to find out the disparities that exist between the developing and the developed nations. The roles and boundaries of the relevant stakeholders are important to comprehend because it sets the basis for knowing many issues which are faced up front by the developing countries19. All said and done, the premise of lifeboat ethics should always be comprehended in such a manner that there is immense learning for all and sundry, and also for the developed nations so that they can give their best towards the rest of the nations of the world20. This is something that speaks volumes regarding the manner under which harmony can be cultivated on a global level with results that speak for their own selves. 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