The Case Against Acting Selfishly

            Hardin makes a good point: Look out for yourself, and only yourself, and you will probably get the chance to see another day. Sounds pretty good until you bring into question lingering aspects of morality, the importance of a somewhat clear conscious, and the basic human principle that helping yourself is not always beneficial in the long run. But, Mr. Hardin willingly overlooked these considerations in his essay The Case Against Helping the Poor, and for that, some concerns have to be raised about whether Hardin is correct, and even if, do we as a society want to stoop to low levels to "win.".
             Garrett Hardin's big point: the earth is like this gargantuan lifeboat that has only enough retail space to seat a set number of passengers- a number that Hardin feel's has already been surpassed. For those passengers lucky enough to be on board (by "lucky" I mean that most wealth that would get you a seat on board is not gained by hard work but through some fortunate twist of Life), there are expedient questions to be answered. Do we let more people on board? Who do we choose? Should we let them all drown and move on with our life? Hardin answers "Yes" to the last question and dryly states that, "The net result of conscience-stricken people giving up their unjustly held seats is the elimination of that sort of conscience from the lifeboat." What Hardin is really saying is that a troubled conscience is not that big a deal. Contrary to moral thought, an uneasy conscience only blurs realistic, self-interested vision, and therefore, the less conscientious objectors on board, the better for the rest of the occupants. With this obvious lack of moral understanding, Hardin has obviously chosen the wrong ideal- survival over morality. So what- we get to live one more measly day. Did we sell our soul, our morals, and our fellow humans for that tainted capsule of time? When you act in a selfish manner, like Hardin suggests, you do exactly that.