Oral Presentations - Session 1F: UC 333
THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF GLOBAL JUSTICE: A CASE OF CHILD WELFARE IN INDIA
Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Albert Borgmann
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Philosophy
Abstract / Artist's Statement
India is among the world’s most rapidly developing countries, yet it persists in holding one-third of the world’s poor. Furthermore, the greatest victims of poverty in India are the children who face malnutrition and illegal labor. My project takes an empirical approach to this issue as well as a philosophical one. It first examines how rapid economic development has impacted the poor and children. The philosophical aspect of my project utilizes this empirical information to address the following question: Does a wealthy nation, namely America, have a moral obligation to help the poor in developing nations? This leads to a more puzzling question: What marks the difference between individual decency and civic responsibility, and why do Americans generally display the former but not the latter? To provide satisfactory discourse on these issues, I explore the works of Indian philosopher and economist Amartya Sen as well as Thomas Pogge, John Rawls, and the United Nations Millennium Project. In short, my research aims to create more awareness of child welfare in rapidly developing nations such as India; to determine the moral duties of wealthier countries and individuals with regard to this problem; and to illuminate a gap between decency and responsibility.
Category
Humanities
THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF GLOBAL JUSTICE: A CASE OF CHILD WELFARE IN INDIA
UC 333
India is among the world’s most rapidly developing countries, yet it persists in holding one-third of the world’s poor. Furthermore, the greatest victims of poverty in India are the children who face malnutrition and illegal labor. My project takes an empirical approach to this issue as well as a philosophical one. It first examines how rapid economic development has impacted the poor and children. The philosophical aspect of my project utilizes this empirical information to address the following question: Does a wealthy nation, namely America, have a moral obligation to help the poor in developing nations? This leads to a more puzzling question: What marks the difference between individual decency and civic responsibility, and why do Americans generally display the former but not the latter? To provide satisfactory discourse on these issues, I explore the works of Indian philosopher and economist Amartya Sen as well as Thomas Pogge, John Rawls, and the United Nations Millennium Project. In short, my research aims to create more awareness of child welfare in rapidly developing nations such as India; to determine the moral duties of wealthier countries and individuals with regard to this problem; and to illuminate a gap between decency and responsibility.