Poverty and Morality: Religious and Secular Perspectives

✍ Scribed by William A. Galston (editor), Peter H. Hoffenberg (editor)

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 330
• Series: Ethikon Series in Comparative Ethics
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This multiauthored book explores how many influential ethical traditions – secular and religious, Western and non-Western – wrestle with the moral dimensions of poverty and the needs of the poor. These traditions include Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, among the religious perspectives; classical liberalism, feminism, liberal-egalitarianism, and Marxism, among the secular; and natural law, which might be claimed by both. The basic questions addressed by each of these traditions are linked to several overarching themes: what poverty is, the particular vulnerabilities of high-risk groups, responsibility for the occurrence of poverty, preferred remedies, how responsibility for its alleviation is distributed, and priorities in the delivery of assistance. These essays are preceded by a background chapter on the types, scope, and causes of poverty in the modern world and some contemporary strategies for eliminating it. The volume concludes with Michael Walzer’s broadly conceived commentary, which provides a direct comparison of the presented views and makes suggestions for further study and policy.

✦ Table of Contents

Half-title
Series-title
Title
Copyright
Contents
Contributors
Acknowledgments
1 Introduction
2 Global Poverty and Unequal Development: Contemporary Trends and Issues
Concept of Poverty in Development Economics
Human-Centered Approaches
Measurement Approaches
Trends in Global Poverty, 1990–2005
Uneven Progress among Regions and Countries
Countries Face Different Challenges
Trends in Global Inequalities
Inequalities within Countries
Inequality across Countries
Income Inequality between Persons within the World
Inequality in Human Development and Human Capabilities
Global Solidarity and the International Policy Agenda
Global Consensus on Inclusive Globalization
Policies
Concluding Remarks
3 The Karma of Poverty: A Buddhist Perspective
What Is Poverty?
The Problem of Karma
Goals and Priorities
The Role of the State
Socially Engaged Buddhism
Conclusion
4 Poverty and Morality in Christianity
Definitions
High-Risk Groups
Volition
Goals
Remedies
Scope and Priorities
Responsibility and Conditionality
5 Classical Liberalism, Poverty, and Morality
Definitions
Vulnerability to Poverty
Institutionalization of the Political and Economic Means to Wealth Acquisition
Wealth and Inequality
Self-Help, Mutual Aid, Charity, and Public Assistance
6 Confucian Perspectives on Poverty and Morality
Definitions
High-Risk Groups
Volition
Goals
Remedies
Scope and Priorities
Responsibility and Conditionality
Conclusion and Case Studies
7 Poverty and Morality: A Feminist Perspective
Liberal Theory on Gender and Poverty
Feminism, Poverty, and Liberalism
8 Hinduism and Poverty
Definitions
High-Risk Groups
Volition
Goals
Remedies
Scope and Priorities
Responsibility and Conditionality
Conclusion
9 The Problem of Poverty in Islamic Ethics
Why Poverty?
Who Are the Poor?
How to Alleviate Poverty?
10 Jewish Perspectives on Poverty
Definitions and Volition: Poverty, Suffering, and Virtue
High-Risk Groups: Land, Patriarchy, and the Life of Study
Goals: Extensive Alleviation, Not Eradication
Remedies: Modes and Limits
The Obligation to Help: Scope and Priorities
Responsibility and Conditionality
11 Liberal Egalitarianism and Poverty
Definitions of Poverty
High-Risk Groups
Volition
Goals
Remedies
Scope and Priorities
Responsibility and Conditionality
Conclusion
12 Marxism and Poverty
Marx and Moral Philosophy
From Marx to Marxism
Bolshevik Ethics
Poverty
Poverty, Race, and Gender
Relieving Poverty
Remedies
13 Poverty and Natural Law
Thomas Aquinas
Bartolomé de las Casas
John Finnis
Conclusion: Natural Law and Poverty
14 Afterword
Select Bibliography
Buddhism
Christianity
Classical Liberalism
Confucianism
Feminism
Hinduism
Islam
Judaism
Liberal Egalitarianism
Marxism
Natural Law
World Poverty
Index