Book Review: World Poverty and Human Rights by Thomas Pogge (2002)

Introduction: A Wake-Up Call to Global Conscience

In World Poverty and Human Rights (2002), philosopher Thomas Pogge delivers a powerful moral and political critique of the global order.

This book is not just a work of academic philosophy, it’s a moral indictment of how affluent societies structure and sustain global inequality.

Pogge’s central argument is bold: the current world economic system is complicit in perpetuating poverty, making rich nations morally responsible for the suffering of the poor.

Core Argument: Poverty as a Violation of Human Rights

• Pogge challenges the conventional notion that poverty is a result of bad governance, lack of education, or corruption in developing countries.
• Instead, he asserts that global institutions themselves are unjust, designed in ways that systematically disadvantage the poor.
• He builds on John Rawls’ theory of justice, but expands it to a global scale, arguing that justice cannot be confined within national borders.
• Pogge maintains that affluent states and their citizens have negative duties and obligations not to harm others through unjust…