The allowing of severe poverty as the discarding of persons’ lives

Abstract

Severe poverty, defined as lacking a realistic subsistence income, is a severe moral issue that could be effectively addressed by institutionally coordinated global efforts. Such efforts would allocate specific duties to avert poverty at a relatively small cost. The argument states that failing to prevent severe poverty—despite its low cost—violates basic human rights. The duties to combat poverty should be seen as duties of justice, similar to universally accepted duties like easy rescues in emergencies. This lecture criticizes the prevailing individualistic approach and calls for systemic, institutional coordination to address the issue adequately. – AI-generated abstract.