Overcoming Ignorance: The Case for a Moral Imperative to Combat Global Poverty

Abstract

The response of affluent individuals and countries to the extremes of global poverty in today's world is in dire need of reconsideration. While political philosophies such as John Rawls and Thomas Nagel argue that obligations of justice should not extend beyond national boundaries, other such as Thomas Pogge and Peter Singer emphasize that increased global interdependence has made national boundaries irrelevant for matters of morality and justice. Instead, affluent individuals must undertake a new moral mindset when considering the issue of global poverty, and a new, moderate, moral cosmopolitan theory for justice should be established in order to change the state of poverty in our world radically.