I have just read a story by Peter Singer called "the Singer Solution to World Poverty". http://www.unc.edu/courses/2009spring/plcy/240/001/The_Solution_to_World_Poverty1.pdf. The stories is full of annoying hypothetical situations desgined to make the reader re-evaluate there morality. I find that the author tries to take a very complex problem and give it a simple answer; which reinforces my belief that the Educated (a professor in this case) are not always intelligent.
The story is about poverty and wealth allocation and this "problem" has bent wrestled with sense the beginning of recorded history. The reason why this issue hasn't been solved is not because there is not enough wealth or resources but who controls them and that the few that have wealth don't want to give it away. Most of the wealth is controlled by the few or as I have heard the term 1%.
Even if we could provide free energy and infinite food to everyone there would still be opposition to that. For the wealthy to remain wealthy, wealth has to say unbalanced. This is the reason are world still runs on oil. Think of all the power companies and oil companies that would shut down and all the jobs lost if he had free energy. You can't solve the problem of world hunger while we are still using "money" to allocate wealth. Man has to change what motivates them and honestly that wont change any time soon.
As far as the children used in this story I find it irritating that the author never puts blame where it is due. Where are the parents of these children. Where are the families which in my opinion is where many break downs happen. Local community and family support. I think it is each persons responsibility to deal with there own choices. To help or not to help. Is it wrong to spend money to further your education? No. Is it wrong to work money to purchase comforts? No. I do think society has a responsibilty to the children who are in need but systems that are funded through taxation for this purpose are abused.
I think instinctivly people don't give in some cases because they know they can't solve the world hunger problem because humanity does not change. The world hunger problem exist because humanity through individual complacency says it does not mind that it exists. In the end as with everything else its about choice.
Jacob Hollar
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