Starving people in Africa

[AdHoc]

Is it a logical fallacy to show pictures of starving children in Africa?

Yes, if you are using it to argue that one ought to help starving children in Africa.

I personally agree with the answer given to the question above. Showing pictures tugs on a person's heartstrings but if the logic that drives the argument is examined its likely logically flawed.

But it makes me wonder, is there a logical argument that could be put forward that people in the west should help people in Africa?

My heart tells me we should but I have no idea if there is a logical reason for it.

[connermt]

Is it a logical fallacy to show pictures of starving children in Africa?

Yes, if you are using it to argue that one ought to help starving children in Africa.

I personally agree with the answer given to the question above. Showing pictures tugs on a person's heartstrings but if the logic that drives the argument is examined its likely logically flawed.

But it makes me wonder, is there a logical argument that could be put forward that people in the west should help people in Africa?

My heart tells me we should but I have no idea if there is a logical reason for it.

The way I see it, the world has way too many people in it so helping a starving person I don't know, who have nothing else better to do that reproduce with little to no way to support their children - a person that will likely never have any impact on me personally - isn't logical. My money is better spent on myself, my family and things that directly impact me.
Looking into it further, it could be successfully argued that it's only logical to help individuals that hold the same interests as you do.

[AdHoc]

Religion evolved? Morals evolved? I think you might be begging the question with this paragraph.

No, using logic, reason and common sense.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutiona ... _religions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_morality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altruism_in_animals
Start with these links and take it from there.

My point is you are begging the question because you are expecting me to accept your premise, which I do not, wikipedia links notwithstanding.

1. You would improve the living conditions of the children and give you a good conscience. (If you have one.)

Conscience? Like I will get a warm fuzzy feeling? This is not logical.

Conscience is simply a mechanism that makes you feel good if you follow the morals evolved by evolution. A good conscience is just feedback that you are doing the right thing. It is quite logical that evolution should provide you with such a feedback mechanism. Some people don't have it though.

4. People will realize that you care about somebody else but yourself and will look at you positively and help you if you are in need.
5. If you give to charities there, the government in those countries might look favorably on for example trade negotiations with your country and good relations between countries benefits you personally too.
6. If people generally help each other cross borders the world might become a better and more stable place in general and this also benefits you of course.

These last few do present some logic for helping others but I'm not sure that they would be enough to spur me on to do good deeds for people in a faraway country on their own. I think it would make more sense to invest that money and be able to help myself from my own resources if and when the time comes that I need it.

The Golden Rule doesn't have any limits on geographical distance and it doesn't matter where the people who need help the most are geographically located. We're all on the same little planet.

Mmm hmm but if I look at the question purely from a cold logical perspective I don't see alot of strong reasons why I should help someone in Africa except on the off chance that there may be some potential reciprocity.

[AdHoc]

Is it a logical fallacy to show pictures of starving children in Africa?

Yes, if you are using it to argue that one ought to help starving children in Africa.

I personally agree with the answer given to the question above. Showing pictures tugs on a person's heartstrings but if the logic that drives the argument is examined its likely logically flawed.

But it makes me wonder, is there a logical argument that could be put forward that people in the west should help people in Africa?

My heart tells me we should but I have no idea if there is a logical reason for it.

The way I see it, the world has way too many people in it so helping a starving person I don't know, who have nothing else better to do that reproduce with little to no way to support their children - a person that will likely never have any impact on me personally - isn't logical. My money is better spent on myself, my family and things that directly impact me.
Looking into it further, it could be successfully argued that it's only logical to help individuals that hold the same interests as you do.

I think that is a completely logical position... one might say its selfish, cold and unfeeling but very logical nonetheless.

[Artie]

My point is you are begging the question because you are expecting me to accept your premise, which I do not, wikipedia links notwithstanding.

No, actually I'm asking you to read the links, use logic, reason and common sense and understand how and why the premise is correct. If you don't see that the explanation is logical, reasonable and makes sense there's little else I can do.

Mmm hmm but if I look at the question purely from a cold logical perspective I don't see alot of strong reasons why I should help someone in Africa except on the off chance that there may be some potential reciprocity.

It's simply logical to help others because then they will help you and that will improve everybody's chances of survival including yours. We have logic, reason and common sense, self respect, ethics, morality, good upbringing, conscience, empathy, compassion, altruism, love, the Golden Rule, the laws, etc etc to encourage us to help others and to help us decide which help will be most beneficial to as many as possible and where.

[Artie]

The way I see it, the world has way too many people in it so helping a starving person I don't know, who have nothing else better to do that reproduce with little to no way to support their children - a person that will likely never have any impact on me personally - isn't logical. My money is better spent on myself, my family and things that directly impact me.
Looking into it further, it could be successfully argued that it's only logical to help individuals that hold the same interests as you do.

I think that is a completely logical position... one might say its selfish, cold and unfeeling but very logical nonetheless.

True. People living without ethics, morality, good upbringing, conscience, empathy, compassion, altruism, love, or the Golden Rule can be perfectly logical in their conduct. Which is of course why all the rest of these traits also evolved. Nobody would care about a person who was just selfish, cold and unfeeling would they so his chances of survival and getting help if he needed it was less than others.

[Bust Nak]

What if one does not feel good about themselves when they do this? What if one feels better getting a big screen TV or helping out the kids in the neighborhood? What if one enjpys wtching movies of starving childfren?

Then one would have lost the strongest reason to help, and in the latter cases, a reason not to help.

I believe these questions are too trivial to be genuine, you were trying to make a point by asking them. Care to explain what that point is?

[x1plus1x]

Is it a logical fallacy to show pictures of starving children in Africa?

Yes, if you are using it to argue that one ought to help starving children in Africa.

I personally agree with the answer given to the question above. Showing pictures tugs on a person's heartstrings but if the logic that drives the argument is examined its likely logically flawed.

But it makes me wonder, is there a logical argument that could be put forward that people in the west should help people in Africa?

My heart tells me we should but I have no idea if there is a logical reason for it.

After reading thru this thread, maybe the logical reason for helping people in africa is because those closest to you will observe your generosity and think more favorably about you.

Imagine that you go to your family christmas dinner, and you tell everyone that instead of buying gifts for everyone that you've donated money to famine relief in africa. Your family might be more inclined to treat you with more respect and might even reward you for the donation.

[Thundering Hooves]

I'm not sure there is a logical reason for helping starving people. I think logic can reason its way out doing what the opinions have already decided in the person.

I think one must go beyond reason and find the humanity within. Is that the emotions? Possibly. But I do hope there is something inside man that would find it difficult to sleep at night knowing his dollars could help a child NOT go hungry at night.

[dusk]

Logical reasons to send development aide is stuff like we don't want the refugees to storm the EU. For no other reasons China keeps North Korea alive rather than starve them out. They don't want to deal with the refugees.
For donating after a drought in a food crisis in Somalia there is no purely logical reason. It is emotional. Hoping that the world gets a little better with the bit of donation, feeling a bit better about yourself, hoping that you don't have to confront as much misery in the future if you help helping.
Truly rational would be helping sooner before there are any really terrible pictures at a time when the help needed is still cheaper, more effective and actually prevents the suffering rather than just sort of curing some symptoms.

For the most part though if one seeks the rational in our emotions is that we tend to prefer to live in nicer environments. We have empathy and seeing misery is something that makes us unhappy so we try to minimise misery in order to not have to see it. By the same rational many city officials try to keep beggars and homeless people from the nice looking districts. That is the calculating side of the same coin.

[bluethread]

What if one does not feel good about themselves when they do this? What if one feels better getting a big screen TV or helping out the kids in the neighborhood? What if one enjpys wtching movies of starving childfren?

Then one would have lost the strongest reason to help, and in the latter cases, a reason not to help.

I believe these questions are too trivial to be genuine, you were trying to make a point by asking them. Care to explain what that point is?

Well, if charity is based what makes one feel good, why not just avoid seeing and hearing about people who are doing without or just learn to enjoy seeing these things? That way one can feel good without giving.