Preliminary communication

Poverty and Supererogation in Ethics

Ivan Koprek

Abstract

Poverty is a global problem. Despite of improvement in some areas of standard of living (availability of basic health care and basic education, reduction of illiteracy and child mortality, longer life expectancy, etc.), the number of poor in the world today is not decreased. It is therefore not surprising that World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen in 1995. emphasised three key social problems: poverty, unemployment and social exclusion. On the global level the year 2010 was declared as the Year fighting against poverty... But, is poverty just political and not ethical problem? On what way deontological and consequential (utilitarian) ethics are related to the topic of poverty?

Keywords

poverty; ethics; parable of the good Samaritan; deontologism; consequentialism; utilitarianism; supererogation; positive and negative obligations; love

Hrčak ID:

85043

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/85043

Publication date:

20.7.2012.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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