Ethics and Famine

The Ethics group raised a very important issue concerning why and how famines actually start in the first place. Although many famines coincide with national or regional shortages of food, famine has also occurred amid plenty. They can also occur on account of acts of economic or military policy that have deprived certain populations of sufficient food to ensure survival. At first, I thought it was very weird that they asked the class if providing aid to countries experiencing famines was considered ethical or unethical. I immediately thought that just the act of giving aid should be considered ethical, however, after their presentation and during our discussion, there are definitely many aspects of aid and giving that can be viewed as unethical. While the concerts and bracelets promote awareness, it is disconcerting that we need to receive something in order to give. Instead of just giving for the sake of giving, most people need to receive something back almost like a reward or gift for helping others. Unfortunately, while this is not the best scenario, at least people can learn about the problems the world faces, and there is some good that comes from the concerts and publicity.