Abstract
Poverty is a universal problem, but for the purpose of this paper, I focus on how poverty is problematic towards people living in South Africa. My paper aims to explore the kind of responsibilities that individuals have towards people who are living in poverty. My proposed argument is that poverty is unpleasant towards humankind, and waiting for other agents to act, prolongs the suffering that poor people experience. Hence, action ought to come from ordinary people. My main claim is that individuals that are able to provide aid have a moral responsibility to help the less fortunate alleviate poverty. I use ‘Black tax’ as a duty that could alleviate poverty. I will use my interpretation of ‘Black tax’ as an example of an obligation and an option that might help in lessening the severity of poverty. I will explore this phenomenon further on how it can sometimes go beyond being a financial contribution to family members to covering other forms of aid. Furthermore, I explore Western ethics to find examples that support Ubuntu values. It is necessary for me to do so because I want to identify common values between Western and African ethics, that can capture the duties that we have towards other individuals. I argue that adopting consequentialism and deontology ethics alongside African ethics can strengthen Ubuntu values because they generally focus on our duties and the consequences our actions have towards other people. Therefore, instead of focusing on actions that can benefit the individual, the combination of Western and African ethics can enforce moral duties that an individual has towards other individuals. ‘Black tax’ could be a universal norm that is applicable to everyone, regardless of race or geographic location, in lessening the severity of poverty...
M.A. (Philosophy)