Normally we all tend to accept what is given to us as to what famine really is. Mostly people believe that a famine is caused by the shortage in food supplies, but according to an economist, Amartya Sen, a famine in many cases was not caused by a shortage in food supply. She gave an example of Bengal where food production was down on the previous year while it was higher than in previous non-famine years. So Sen points to a number of social and economic factors, such as declining wages, unemployment, rising food prices, and food distribution systems. These issues resulted in starvation among certain groups in society in Bengal.
So critical thinking helps us, look at an issue in depth, and not just accept things as they are provided to us. It enables us to judge and then possibly criticize the information that is provided to us and make ourselves better informed about a particular issue so that we can know the actual reason behind the false information provided to us initially. Then we can get to the consequences and implications of the issue with the information we find out for ourselves.
Minor correction here Alizeh though what you said about Amartya Sen is correct. But Amartya Sen is a man not a woman. He born 3 November 1933) is an Indian economist who was awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory. Sen was best known for his work on the causes of famine, which led to the development of practical solutions for preventing or limiting the effects of real or perceived shortages of food. :)
ReplyDeleteyes thanku for the 'MINOR' correction...but that wasnt the main point of my blog. :)
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