Sen discusses income as not only a means to live, but also to "achieve actual livings that one can have reason to value" (73). This extends the evaluation of poverty beyond income and even access to food, healthcare, etc., to the ability of an individual to function in society without deprivation. As he notes, the "relative deprivation in terms of incomes can yield absolute deprivation in terms of capabilities" (89). He notes that even if an individual may have a higher absolute income in terms of world standards, being relatively poor in a rich country can be a great handicap.
I like this version of inequality as deprivation because it accounts for variances in cultural/societal standards; rather than arguing that African-Americans are better off (in terms of income) than the relatively poor in countries like India, which diminishes the level of adversity this group truly faces, Sen promotes weighing the importance of capability to participate in society. Social exclusion, which results from being unable to participate meaningfully in a community, inhibits the ability of an individual to participate in the political and economic spheres of that society. This not only hinders an individual's ability to succeed, but also to live a life that the society would consider meaningful in the least.
I also understand that this view may generate criticism. How did you guys receive this idea?
I agree and thought his points in chapter three about our circumstances and their implications on our own perception of a meaningful is accurate: "The deprived people tend to come to terms with their deprivation because of the sheer necessity of survival, and they may, as a result, lack the courage to demane any radical change, and may even adjust their desires and expectations to what unambiguously see as feasible...It is important...to favor the creation of condition in which people have real opportunities of judging the kind of lives they would lead. Social and economic factors such as basic education, elementary health care, and secure employment are important not only on their own, but also for the role they can play in giving people the opportunity to approach the world with courage."
ReplyDeleteI agree and thought his points in chapter three about our circumstances and their implications on our own perception of a meaningful is accurate: "The deprived people tend to come to terms with their deprivation because of the sheer necessity of survival, and they may, as a result, lack the courage to demane any radical change, and may even adjust their desires and expectations to what unambiguously see as feasible...It is important...to favor the creation of condition in which people have real opportunities of judging the kind of lives they would lead. Social and economic factors such as basic education, elementary health care, and secure employment are important not only on their own, but also for the role they can play in giving people the opportunity to approach the world with courage."
ReplyDelete