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.

[dusk]

You can certainly try. What do you think though so many suburb gated communities are about. It is creating ones private perfect little world in which you only have to look at those tidy neighbors and not deal with the favela next door.

Or say we don't regularly want to see documentaries about how the industrial meat industry works because knowing and seeing are two different things. We are looking away.

I doubt you can learn to enjoy these things. The reality of charity is that nothing happens until people are made aware of things. We do know what is going on in India, Somalia, ... but until we see it there is practically no action. The charity agencies try to create awareness, try to make us look.

Being a hypocritic look away type of person doesn't really make people happy either. People that feel good without giving generally just don't donate anything. It is as simple as that.

[Bust Nak]

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.

What dusk says basically. Sure you can try and avoid learning about people in need. There are people out there who do want you to help, and they will remind you if they can find an opportunity. And sure you can try and enjoy seeing those videos, but do you want to?

[AdHoc]

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.

What dusk says basically. Sure you can try and avoid learning about people in need. There are people out there who do want you to help, and they will remind you if they can find an opportunity. And sure you can try and enjoy seeing those videos, but do you want to?

My heart says no but I think bluethread makes an excellent and very thought-provoking point... logically speaking, why not?

[bluethread]

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.

What dusk says basically. Sure you can try and avoid learning about people in need. There are people out there who do want you to help, and they will remind you if they can find an opportunity. And sure you can try and enjoy seeing those videos, but do you want to?

Well, if it makes me feel good, why not. It's about what feels good right? Do you believe that sadomasicism is a myth? In fact, it appears that there is a portion of our population that seems to find the suffering of others to be quite humorious.

[dusk]

My heart says no but I think bluethread makes an excellent and very thought-provoking point... logically speaking, why not?

Why not kill your family and yourself after that? You could try and convince yourself that is for the better and saves them and you suffering. Some do.
Logically speaking why not?

[Bust Nak]

My heart says no but I think bluethread makes an excellent and very thought-provoking point... logically speaking, why not?

No logical reason why not. That you don't want to, is a great emotional reason though.

Well, if it makes me feel good, why not. It's about what feels good right?

Exactly. It's not logical but about how one feels.

Do you believe that sadomasicism is a myth? In fact, it appears that there is a portion of our population that seems to find the suffering of others to be quite humorious.

No, Sadomasochism is not a myth. There is indeed a portion of our population that find suffering humorious. Are these facts supposed to show counter the claim that feeling good is all the reason one needs to help starving people in Africa?

[bluethread]

Do you believe that sadomasicism is a myth? In fact, it appears that there is a portion of our population that seems to find the suffering of others to be quite humorious.

No, Sadomasochism is not a myth. There is indeed a portion of our population that find suffering humorious. Are these facts supposed to show counter the claim that feeling good is all the reason one needs to help starving people in Africa?

As a pragmatic approach on the part of the charity industry, appealing to hedonism works. Enlightened self interest was a justification for colonialism. In the 20th century, however, this approach was increasingly demonized as preditory, by such theories as the tragedy of the commons and self determination. These theories have been considered as more helpful in dealing with third world privation, but the application of these approaches have also had mixed results.

[AdHoc]

My heart says no but I think bluethread makes an excellent and very thought-provoking point... logically speaking, why not?

Why not kill your family and yourself after that? You could try and convince yourself that is for the better and saves them and you suffering. Some do.
Logically speaking why not?

Because we take care of each other? And I would go to prison

[RobertUrbanek]

If you are a rich person in the US, your most moral course of action is to use your wealth to have as many babies as possible. That way, when a person in Africa starves to death, they will have a better chance of being reincarnated as a member of your familiy and enjoy all the benefits of being an American citizen.

[dusk]

Because we take care of each other? And I would go to prison

Afaik they don't send dead people to prison and it would make a difference.
Your children most likely don't do a lot of care taking and once your parents are old the care taking goes another direction. They are expendable. Get rid of them is way more convenient and beneficial.

If you are a rich person in the US, your most moral course of action is to use your wealth to have as many babies as possible. That way, when a person in Africa starves to death, they will have a better chance of being reincarnated as a member of your familiy and enjoy all the benefits of being an American citizen.

Yes open breeding and cloning facilities here to industrialize the whole baby making in rich economies. Japanese are said go half their population in the next half century or something. Make sure in the poor ones, they either stop breeding or reduce it to a level which they can actually sustain economically. Less hunger, less misery. That would be logical. The Nazis got it right after all. All they wanted is to reduce the misery of the inferior and make everybody happy super awesome Arier. Who wants to be incarnated as an ugly starving well non Arier anyway.

^^ I am not being serious remark in respect to Poe's Law.