Is the abolishment of poverty a distant reality or myth?

Question

I've just finished a book written my macroeconomist Jeffery Sachs, entitled: The End of Poverty. He describes in detail a plan to end poverty by 2025. Although his reasoning is possible, it fails to acount for human greed, corruption, scocial class barriers, etc. Its kinda scary that Sachs is an internationally renowed economist that is leading this country's policy concerning foreign economic development. Anyways, it would be nice to belief that someday we could achieve the end of poverty. Can we? Definetly not 2025, but what about 3025?

Answer 1

Relative poverty will always be with us, but it is possible to end extreme poverty for most of the people in the world. Few if any people in the developed world lack food or the basic necessities of life. Only 50 years ago life expectancy at birth was less the 40 for the majority of the people in the world, now few counties have life expectancies less than 60. This was achieved with a modest investment is health care in poor countries. Pessimist said nothing could be done , but they were wrong then, and I think they are wrong now.

Answer 2

Even if your definition of poverty is one countries wealth compared to another.. so lets say hypothetically americas standard of living right now was the standard living for the poorest nation in the world.. and at that point that standard of living was considered poverty.. even then if free markets were opend across the board then the wealth of all the nations would start to even out. But I would say that Poverty is on a large scale caused by a few people making decisions that are benefical to them only on a small scale compared to how harmful that same decision is to the other people it affects. These decisions are usually made in government.. where the cost of making a bad decision is extremly small. But even if everyone smartened up and made government smaller, poverty is also caused by laziness, and addiction, and even excessive greed. So there will always be pockets of poverty, because there will always be people that are lazy, addicts, or excessivly greedy. The only thing that can be done is limiting that behavor by making it cost more than it's worth. So whether or not it's possible I dare not say.. but we can definatly get close.

Answer 3

A definite myth. As long as poeple continue to support a separation of social and political classes, poverty will be an ever present reality. When We as a race (the HUMAN race) realize that we are in this together and have the same basic needs... and perhaps even grow some simple compassion for one another, then things might change. As a race and as a species we are still too selfish, self centered, and immature to overcome class separation.

Answer 4

That depends on how you define poverty. People that live in poverty today are much better off than the poorest people 50 years ago. 5,000 years from now, if the average person owns 10 mega-mansions, will people that can only afford a nice house be living in poverty? If that's the case then poverty will always exist. You have to define poverty before this question can be answered.

I'm referring to America in this answer, not the third world.

Answer 5

It's an unrealistic and vain wish.

With the way poverty in the world is, I wouldn't even assume 3025. It's taken years for such an unfortunate issue to get as severe as it has. Reversing it could only take far longer.

Answer 6

It's not practical.

Technology can end poverty. But politics and environmentalism and special interest won't allow it.
You are correct in observing things like greed and corruption, those are part of the reasons for poverty. Dictatorships, religion, genocide, taxation, and more all contribute.

Answer 7

"it fails to acount for human greed, corruption, scocial class barriers, etc."

Don't worry, comrade! When those sins against humanity are outlawed, The Party will make sure that any who are guilty shall forever disappear from society and trouble us no longer.

Answer 8

Never. There will always be lazy @ssess who do nothing. Unless Communism takes control then everyone except the leaders will be in poverty so it would be if there was no poverty

Answer 9

as long as people are using natural resources like wood and oil, and keep cutting down trees and killing other people in order to get their resources, the human race probably wont even last that long. global warming will cause disease to spread disease more quickly and insects like mosquitoes will help it along. if humans dont open their eyes to the reality of the world condition then our time is running out.

Answer 10

As long as the need for war and strife EXISTS, then so will poverty.

Look at how much we are spending on this war. Look at how much Bush balks at spending on children's healthcare.

Then you tell me. :0)