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But Wi ll iam Paddock now agrees
with Hardin : "When we wrote that
book
[Famine 1975!.),
we were still
very much in favor of foreign aid,"
observes Paddock. "We only wanted
it better targeted. But now 1 feel we
should cut down on a id because of
what has happened since about
1970. 1 don't see any difference be–
tween me and Hardin; 1 think Gar–
rett Hardin
is
completely right in his
interpretation."
Philip Handler, president of the
National Academy of Sciences, is
equally pessimistic. "Cruel as it may
sound, if the developed and affluent
nations do not intend the colossal,
all-out effort commensurate with
this task, then it may be wiser to 'Jet
nature take its course,'" advises
Handler.
Need vs. Greed
"1 can't agree with the lifeboat
strategy of total abandonment , or
the triage strategy of selective
abandonment for today's world,' '
counters outspoken climatologist
The
PLAIN TRUTH
January
1978
Stephen Schneider in his recent
book
The Genesis Stralegy.
"Rather," says Schneider, "we
should redouble our efforts, perhaps
through a Global Survival Com–
promise, to take advantage of the
precious li ttle time that may remain
and use it to improve that real world
situation."
What is Schneider's Global Sur–
viva! Compromise? Essentially, he
contends that the rich countries of
the world must control their exces–
sive consumption, recognize the des–
perate need of the poor countries,
and supply them with massive aid–
food, technology, capital invest–
ment- in the hope tha t their popu–
lations can be controlled and that
future catastrophe can thus be
averted.
" I hold few illusions that the na–
tions of the world will easily band
together politically through sorne
ty pe of G loba l Su rvival Com–
promise and act in time to prevent a
few terrible human disasters,' ' la–
ments Schneider, "[but] individual
efforts to reduce the danger can in–
deed make a difference and, thus,
we should not be discouraged indi–
vidually from trying simply because
others do not promptly join us. In
the end, though, only our collective
labors will yield any real chance of
total success."
Needless to say, Schneider's Glo–
bal Survival Compromise stands in
sharp contras! to the more pessimis–
tic approaches of lifeboat ethics and
triage.
Of Ethics and Conscience
Yet whatever one's long-term eval–
uation of man's abi lity to conquer
famine and starvation, the stark
reality of present-day suffering
should not be overlooked.
The Bible is filled with admoni–
tions to give bread to the hungry
(Ezek. 18:7, 16), and assist those in
need (lsa. 58:7). Indeed, even one's
enemies are to be treated with com–
passion. "If thine enemy be hungry,
give him bread to eat; and if he be
(Continued on page
34)
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