Suppose the earth is spaceship and we human beings all share life in this planet. This is really an ideal condition mentioned in socialism. Garrett Hardin, in his Lifeboat Ethics: The Case against Helping the Poor described his understanding about spaceship metaphor and lifeboat ethics. In his point of view, the space metaphor is totally an error. The charity from comparatively rich countries to the desperately poor countries makes those poor rely on foreign aids when facing emergency, and will disorder the whole environment. For me, I am also against complete justice that may destroy the aggressiveness and endeavor of human beings. However, I cannot agree on Hardin’s ethics of lifeboat.

Politically the whole world can be divided into several communities. There are highly developed countries such as the United States, and also desperately poor countries such as countries in Africa where famine is still prevalent. This condition is decided by all historical and social factors which cannot be changed over night. In the poor countries, day after day people suffer endless famine and diseases which is far beyond the handling of their own government, let alone emergencies. Without foreign aids, it’s impossible for them to overcome all the difficulties. Maybe it’s easy to ask the poor African counties to depend on their own budget for accidents when you are enjoying comfortable life in the United State. Imagine how miserable people would be in those countries. My conscience doesn’t allow me to leave them alone, because they are also human beings with equal rights. Based on humanitarianism, it’s too cruel to control population size through this means.

Hence, countries from all over the world shall spare no effort to help countries in difficulties, especially the developed countries. For such tragedy to some degree are caused by the development of advanced countries. Tracing back to the history of those counties’ development, they transferred industries that cause serious pollution to poor counties, used their rich resources and work force and finally sentenced these poor countries to such an embarrassing condition.

The earth is a planet changing unpredictably all the time. Sometimes it’s too unpredictable and although we have budgeted for it, it’s still beyond our management. In 2005, tsunami struck Southeastern Asia causing over 300,000 people’s deaths and thousands of people lost their home. For such a great disaster, it calls for aids from all over the world, though among those stricken counties there are also rich ones. In addition, among those people in trouble, there are also tourists from other countries. If there are your friends in the tourists, you absolutely cannot leave them alone. I think the lifeboat ethics may divide the emergency into different conditions, and analyses different types specifically.

Moreover, in rich countries, there are poor peoples who suffer from starvation and diseases. They also depend on the assistance from the countries and other rich people. There are also mistrust and antagonism but the rich never intend to stop their helps, because they are in the same boat. It’s a little bit ironical. All the human beings are in the same boat too. I think the charity from others is only a means of giving the poor in difficulty the confidence to step forward. We just want to tell them no matter how terrible life is, it will get better. No matter they are in rich counties or poor ones, we treat them equally.

However to help the poor people doesn’t mean we have to guarantee every aspect of life. We may also support them to gain technology and to receive better education. It will be the most efficient means of development which helps both themselves and the whole country. Besides food, what they need the most is to be educated better. As we all know, recently knowledge is the most crucial ingredient of productivity. In this way, the poor countries could realize the situation and try to fix the problems such as resources wastage, population size and pollution. The world then can develop as a whole.    

Idealism is not an error but the reality is so cruel to realize it. Spaceship metaphor calls for complete justice which may be in violation of nature. Lifeboat ethics focus too much on the rich. If we go through poverty we will always care about human beings and the whole world. People may get into trouble from time to time, and will hope that others would come to help. The same as the people recently in poor countries, they also need all kinds of help from others, because we are in the same planet. We help them, they make it and it will be a happy ending. I want my children to see a world without starvation and diseases, and make it a better place for all the human beings. I think it is all our hope, so we shall strive to make it come true.