Towards a Human Language: An Alternative Approach to Global Poverty

Timothy Weidel
Loyola University Chicago

Title:
Towards a Human Language: An Alternative Approach to Global Poverty

In this paper, I offer an alternative approach to global poverty by challenging the current language of human rights (in terms of the work of Peter Singer and Thomas Pogge). This language attempts to deal with poverty by asserting that individuals can make claims on outside entities to provide goods for them if they are unable to provide them for themselves. Correlative to these rights exist duties, which are obligations placed on other entities to provide the goods in question.

Instead, I argue for what I see as a true (needs-based) human language, influenced by Marx, which appeals to the claim that global poverty not only directly harms the poor, but actually harms everyone. As human beings, we all have needs that we must satisfy in order to survive. Contrary to rights language and its treatment of individuals as atomistic and separated beings, I argue that a sense of community and connection to the global poor is necessary to meet their (as well as our) human needs. In addition, since labor is a necessary vehicle for meeting such needs, the poor must have access to means of employment. They (and we) must dialogue and labor to meet the needs of all human beings.