World Provety and Starvation - Essay Example

Utilitarian and Kantian Ethical theories have been played a significant role towards developing the aspects related to world poverty and starvation.Both theories play a critical role towards impacting the issue of world poverty. According to utilitarianism, ethics is not beneficial unless its implemented in real life methodology. An ethical judgment is difficult to make due to the fact that simple rules conflict. Utilitarianism is a consequentialist system as it regards an action as right as long as it benefits the whole society.

According to UNICEF, 10 million children under 5 die each year due to poverty. Clearly, individuals tend to spend lavishly on themselves rather than investing these funds on someone that is malnourished and starved. Utilitarianism ethics argues that suffering, starvation and death from lack of food is detrimental. If one does not take any action to prevent this suffering without being shallow, then according to utilitarian ethics they are wrong. If one fails to donate to an agency and does not facilitate that process directly himself, they are ethically wrong and at fault.

In addition, the concept of Golden Rule is embedded in the utilitarian ethics itself. If one understands the fact that the limit their lavish spending to bare minimum, they can drastically eliminate some of the poverty in society. Consequently, Kantian ethics takes a different approach in this situation. Donating to a charitable organization often is considered a virtuous act. However, Kant argues that rather than enhancing the condition of the poor, we should focus on ourselves. In essence, it is wrong for an individual to prioritize the conditions of others from the condition of oneself.

For instance, if a mother devotes her time helping a charity and does not spend time with her kids; she becomes a victim of depriving herself of the benefits in the future. The duty to assist the poor according to Kant is imperfect duty. Since Kant tends to focus on the fact that rather than improving the condition of others, one should focus on oneself—it is not surprising to realize that we should be morally obligated to serve ourselves. Without a doubt, both theories are essential towards the idea of poverty.

However, I tend to agree with utilitarian ethics. Utilitarian ethics acknowledge the idea that most people do not possess enough resources to sustain themselves. The idea of giving and being engaged in charity is essential because everyone possesses different circumstances. One cannot make the judgment that the person is unfortunate due to their own fault. For instance, kids in Africa strive every day to get a bucket of water and have to walk for several miles just for this resource. Consequently, kids in America have resources to educated themselves and be nourished on daily basis.

It is the moral obligation of humanity itself to serve those who are in need because it is a moral duty. Truly one can only reach salvation when an individual understands this key concept. Works Cited "Kantian ethics." Kantian philosophy. N.p., 8 Apr. 2009. Web. 16 June 2011.