IAH:Essay Questions

[1] First, describe and explain Singer's overall argument for the claim that we have a very (surprisingly) large obligation to give to the global poor. Second, write a paragraph where you give the best reasons you can in favor of Singer's argument and conclusion.

Third, write another paragraph in which you give the best reasons you can against Singer's argument and conclusion.

(It is not part of the requirement of this short essay that you take a side overall. Rather, do the best you can to give strong arguments in each of the above two paragraphs.)

[2] An important theme of the course has been different views about what the cause of famines is. Write an essay in which you explain the issues surrounding those views here.

In particular, make sure you explain why it can be difficult to make such an assessment, why there is controversy about what the cause is of a given famine (or of famines in general), or why we tend to think about it in certain ways. Also, explain why this is important to acknowledge.

(Note: If you want, your discussion can be about the causes of world hunger more broadly (not specifically famines), but if you do this, but make sure you are very clear at each point WHICH one you are discussing.)

[3] It is widely agreed that it is important to promote the "sustainability" of our agricultural practices, but there are questions about how this sustainability should be conceptualized and measured. Describe and explain the main differing conceptions of sustainability here, and explain why which one we focus on is important. In particular, clarify how it has an impact on what counts as sustainable, as well as how it has an impact on what questions we ask about an agricultural practice.

[4] Describe and explain Sen's central theses about what causes famines (and relatedly, what prevents them). Then describe and explain Paul Thompson's claim about what the "fundamental problem of food ethics" is, and how he uses concepts from Sen to explain this.