Many Hands

The problem of many hands is an interesting one because of how relevant it is to a huge variety of situations. I am hoping that this isn't an irrelevant topic to bring up, because it's something that has been on my mind a lot lately. Thompson's analysis of the different models of placing blame intrigued me, and I thought about how they applied to global issues, such as world hunger, or climate change. Who is to blame for these problems? Thompson's criterion for responsibility are that a decision must be both causal and volitional, but he gives a few exceptions to each. My problem with Thompson is that I think even though he focues on personal responsibility, I think he ends up being too sympathetic. I would argue that people are blameworthy for actions that cause harm, whether or not it was intentional.
Peter Singer argues that we ought to give to others in need unless it hurts us more than it helps them. He argues not only that it's the right thing to help, but that it is wrong for a person to ever not help another when it is possible. Today, millions of people are dying of hunger, and who is to blame? No one person would be able stop world hunger, so no one seems to take the blame. But I would argue with Singer, that if any person is not putting in effort to stop this problem, that he or she should be morally responsible at least in part for this global catastrophe. That may sound really extreme, and it probably is. I would not argue that every person holds equal responsibility in the matter. As Thompson wrote in reference to collective responsibility, those with more resources who have not used them would be more responsible, and those who have made some effort would have less responsibility. To bring it back to the political side of things, I wondered if different nations would be comprable to individuals on a larger scale. Perhaps every nation is somewhat to blame, but the nations with the most resources, obviously the United States among them, would have more blame than nations with few resources. Within each nation would be a sort of web of responsibility as well, those in charge of the nation would hold more responsibility than citizens with little power. Thompson is in favor of personal responsibility over collective or hierarchical models, but I don't think he would hold people personally responsible for global issues to the same extent as Singer. I'm not exactly sure where I stand on the issue, honestly. I believe I have contributed to world hunger, but I'm not sure how much it helps to feel guilty about it. I feel that making some small effort towards social justice often does more to help me relieve that guilt than to actually help the problem. What does it even mean to be blame worthy? Should people who are not politicians feel responsibility for global issues? I'd be interested to hear other thoughts.