Just governments ought to ensure food security for their citizens.

Now I will provide definitions. Just: acting or being in conformity with what is morally upright or good governments: The system by which something is governed (plural) food secruity: One's access and/or ability to meet their basic caloric needs. Since there are multiple ethical systems I will show how a government ensuring food secruity for their citizens is moral under multiple ethical systems: Argument from Utilitarianism: Utilitarianism states: "an action is right if it tends to promote happiness and wrong if it tends to produce the reverse of happiness""not just the happiness of the performer of the action but also that of everyone affected by it. (. http://www.britannica.com...) If the government ensures food secruity for their citizens, then its citizens meets basic food needs, which significantly reduces poverty and the suffering of its citizens, including reducing the suffering of starving men, women, and children. Not only would it reduce the suffering of citizens, but it would also make citizens healthier and thus happier. Healthier and happier citizens means political stability (there were many wars/revolutions/riots started because of lack of food, such as the French Revolution. , . http://en.wikipedia.org...) as well as more productivity in the economy (. http://www2.warwick.ac.uk...). If people are not hungry and are happy and healthy, they are more likely to work more. Thus, if a government ensures food secruity for its citizens, then it will be a net benefit for everyone, and thus a government will be just under utilitarianism if they provide food secruity for its citizens. In order to utilize the good the most effectively, a government would have to ensure food security for their citzens, thus a just government ought to ensure food secruity for their citizens under utilitarianism. Situational Ethics: Situational Ethics states that love is the only thing intrinsicly good is love, which defined as " desiring and acting to promote the wellbeing of people" and that one of the highest manifesations of good (love) is human welfare ("the well being and social support for all citizens". http://en.wikipedia.org... )(. http://www.bbc.co.uk...) Since food secruity both desires the well being of people by meeting their caloric needs and is a policy that acts to provide these caloric needs, it is a loving policy, and therefore under these terms governments would be just if it ensured food secruity for their citizens, thus a just government ought to ensure food security for their citizens under situational ethics. Mohism: According to Mohism what is ethical is determined by: "Actions, practices, and policies that promote the overall welfare of society were to be considered morally right, those that interfere with it morally wrong. " (. http://plato.stanford.edu...) Welfare is defined as: "the provision of a minimal level of well-being and social support for all citizens, sometimes referred to as public aid. " (. http://en.wikipedia.org...) Part of the provision of a minimal level of well-being and social support for all citizens is the secruity of food, thus under mohism food secruity is morally right, and if a government interfered with food secruity it would be morally wrong under mohism. Therefore, under Mohism, just governments ought to ensure food security for their citizens. Duty Ethics: Under Duty Ethics we have a moral duty to do the following things: (Pufendorf) avoid wronging others, treat people as equals, and promote the good of others. (. http://www.iep.utm.edu... Governments can avoid wronging others, treat people as equals, and promote the good of others by ensuring food secruity for their citizens, since, according to Pufendorf, humans have a moral duty to do these things,and a government is comprised of humans, it follows that governments have a moral duty to do these things as well. Since what is just can be defined by duty ethics, and duty ethics states that it is a moral duty to do these things, and food security fufills these moral qualifications, it can be concluded that just governments ought to ensure food security for their citizens under Duty Ethics. According to British philosopher W. D. Ross moral duties break down to: Fidelity: the duty to keep promises Reparation: the duty to compensate others when we harm them Gratitude: the duty to thank those who help us Justice: the duty to recognize merit Beneficence: the duty to improve the conditions of others Self-improvement: the duty to improve our virtue and intelligence Nonmaleficence: the duty to not injure others (. http://www.iep.utm.edu...) One of these is Beneficience: The duty to improve the conditions of others. Since governments ensuring food secruity for their citizens improves their conditions, it would fufill a moral duty, and thus be a just government according to Duty Ethics once again. Since what is just can be defined by duty ethics, and duty ethics states that it is a moral duty to do these things, and food security fufills these moral qualifications, it can be concluded that just governments ought to ensure food security for their citizens under Duty Ethics. Care Ethics: According to care ethics humans have a moral obligation to care for one another. (similiar to Situational Ethics) Caring for one another as defined by care ethics means "maintaining the world of, and meeting the needs of, ourself and others. " (. http://www.iep.utm.edu...) Since ensuring food secruity is a form of meeting the basic needs of others, then under care ethics just governments would ensure food security for their citizens. And since what is just is defined as "acting or being in conformity with what is morally upright or good:, and ensuring food security is morally upright and good, then under Care Ethics a just government ought to ensure food security for their citizens. Conclusion: In conclusion what is just is defined as "acting or being in conformity with what is morally upright or good", and since multiple ethical systems have stated that food security is morally upright or good, then a just government ought to ensure food security for their citizens. (Note: In the next round I plan on focusing on the ought part of the debate more so than the just, as what is just has already been defined in this round. I wish Zaradi luck in the next round. )