rosechild Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 So I'm running into an inner conflict regarding charities. My family is looking into doing a charity for Indian children of lepers. You sponsor a child and this gives them the ability to move from the leper colony and into functioning society, an opportunity they would not have otherwise. I'm not usually one to lean toward charities, as I find most of the time I am funding a situation that could have been avoided and therefore condoning irresponsible actions. In this case though, the children were born into a situation that instantly put them in a state of arrested development, with no opportunity to advance within society, having been exiled with their parents. Should I just expect them to do what they can within their limits, to progress as far as their boundaries allow? I find myself viewing it as holding down the potential of a human being, withholding the right to the pursuit of happiness, leaving them in stagnation out of no action of their own, but by the choice of their parents to bring a child into a world they knew was closed off to them. Any opinions on this topic? Would contributing to this charity or similar charities be contradictory to the objectivist view? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themadkat Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 So I'm running into an inner conflict regarding charities. My family is looking into doing a charity for Indian children of lepers. You sponsor a child and this gives them the ability to move from the leper colony and into functioning society, an opportunity they would not have otherwise. I'm not usually one to lean toward charities, as I find most of the time I am funding a situation that could have been avoided and therefore condoning irresponsible actions. In this case though, the children were born into a situation that instantly put them in a state of arrested development, with no opportunity to advance within society, having been exiled with their parents. Should I just expect them to do what they can within their limits, to progress as far as their boundaries allow? I find myself viewing it as holding down the potential of a human being, withholding the right to the pursuit of happiness, leaving them in stagnation out of no action of their own, but by the choice of their parents to bring a child into a world they knew was closed off to them. Any opinions on this topic? Would contributing to this charity or similar charities be contradictory to the objectivist view? If this is something you value, why should it be contradictory? It sounds as if the value of children getting a fair opportunity, even if they are the children of strangers, is important to you, it seems the irrational thing to do is NOT contribute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecherry Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 As long as you do have the money to spare and it isn't being taken from things that will have a much greater impact on your life, I don't think there's a problem with you donating to that charity. Objectivism doesn't say that any and all charity is always immoral. What it does say is not to sacrifice greater values for lesser ones or no value at all. If you have some spare cash and it sounds like there is some decent person or cause you could put it toward, fine, go ahead. People donate to cancer research or places to advocate good ideas all the time and it isn't immoral. If you want to put your spare cash toward supporting seeing to some people hopefully being able to reach their human potential in spite of some bad luck with who they have raising them because you really enjoy that, I don't see a problem here either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacobGalt Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 It is certainly not contradictory if you think that these children having a little bit more opportunity is more important than what you could have bought with the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosechild Posted July 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Thanks. Those were the lines I was thinking along. Just always nice to have my ideas backed up a bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.