Assignment 05
SUS1501 – Sustainability and Greed
Student Number:14611031
Date: 21/08/2024
Declaration:
By submitting this assignment, I implicitly declare that this is my own work.
I am aware that if ANY unacknowledged copying is detected in ANY part of this assignment, I
will get 0 (zero) for the entire assignment.
INSTRUCTIONS:
• Read the “1. Background Facts” and “2. Introduction” sections below;
• Fill in your assignment contributions under the relevant headings 3 – 5 below – DO NOT DELETE
THE TEMPLATE CONTENT TO REDUCE YOUR TURNITIN SCORE;
• Save the file as a Word document with a short name (myUnisa will reject files with long names);
• Submit this file into the Assessment 5 assignment space on myUnisa;
• Take a screen grab of the final submission acknowledgement on myUnisa and save this
somewhere safe in case of any disputes:
• Check under the Assignments tool that there is a date in the “Processed” cell for the SUS1501
Assignment 5.
• NB – DO NOT RESUMBIT AN ASSIGNMENT AFTER THE DEADLINE HAS PASSED EVEN IF THE
SYSTEM ALLOWS YOU TO DO SO. THIS WILL CHANGE YOUR SUBMISSION DATE AND YOUR
SUBMISSION WILL REFLECT AS LATE
894060
, 1. BACKGROUND FACTS
• “In the first 6 months of 2024, the six wealthiest men in South Africa gained on average
R77 million per day each.”
• “60% of the world’s cobalt is mined in the DRC. Significant amounts of this is mined
under appalling conditions often by child labourers.”
• “Of the top 10 wealthiest people (all men), seven are tech billionaires. Their net worth is
US$ 847 billion or ZAR 13 trillion!”
2. INTRODUCTION (written for me by Prof Eccles)
In assignments 2, 3 and 4 we have, as a group, reflected on the facts above. We debated whether it was
ok for wealthiest six South Africans to earn on average R 77 million a day for the first six months of 2024.
Some of us thought this was a reflection of their business brilliance. Some of us thought that this was
morally outrageous.
We then debated the issue children working in appalling conditions in cobalt mines in the DRC. Although
most of us thought that this was a problem, we saw how other ethical interpretations were possible.
And in the final analysis we considered the possibility that these two scenarios – great wealth and great
poverty – might in fact be linked. On the basis of this, we debated whether the whole picture looked ok.
I think it is safe to say that most of us were left feeling a bit uneasy about things.
That is all well and good. But what about me? In this short essay, I’m going to think about this question.
I’ll start out by trying to figure out where I currently fit in in this picture. Then I’m going to think forward
in time. Specifically, I’m going to imagine what I hope my legacy will have been over the course of the
good (eudaimonic) life I have lived. In formulating this vision of a life well lived, I’m going to make
reference to key virtues or excellences (arête) that I think I will need to develop in order to achieve this
good life. And I’m going to think about the sort of problems that these excellences might present if
taken too far or not far enough.
3. WHERE DO I FIT IN NOW?
Reflecting on my current position within the economic landscape shaped
by the staggering wealth disparities highlighted in the background facts, I
find myself situated in the middle class, neither among the ultra-wealthy
nor in severe poverty. Utilizing the income simulator from WID.world, I
can ascertain that my financial circumstances afford me a reasonable
quality of life, yet I am far from the lavish lifestyle of South Africa's
wealthiest. On a day-to-day basis, I am grateful for the privileges that
come with being part of this class, such as access to education, stable
housing, and basic healthcare. However, I am also acutely aware of the
SUS1501 – Sustainability and Greed
Student Number:14611031
Date: 21/08/2024
Declaration:
By submitting this assignment, I implicitly declare that this is my own work.
I am aware that if ANY unacknowledged copying is detected in ANY part of this assignment, I
will get 0 (zero) for the entire assignment.
INSTRUCTIONS:
• Read the “1. Background Facts” and “2. Introduction” sections below;
• Fill in your assignment contributions under the relevant headings 3 – 5 below – DO NOT DELETE
THE TEMPLATE CONTENT TO REDUCE YOUR TURNITIN SCORE;
• Save the file as a Word document with a short name (myUnisa will reject files with long names);
• Submit this file into the Assessment 5 assignment space on myUnisa;
• Take a screen grab of the final submission acknowledgement on myUnisa and save this
somewhere safe in case of any disputes:
• Check under the Assignments tool that there is a date in the “Processed” cell for the SUS1501
Assignment 5.
• NB – DO NOT RESUMBIT AN ASSIGNMENT AFTER THE DEADLINE HAS PASSED EVEN IF THE
SYSTEM ALLOWS YOU TO DO SO. THIS WILL CHANGE YOUR SUBMISSION DATE AND YOUR
SUBMISSION WILL REFLECT AS LATE
894060
, 1. BACKGROUND FACTS
• “In the first 6 months of 2024, the six wealthiest men in South Africa gained on average
R77 million per day each.”
• “60% of the world’s cobalt is mined in the DRC. Significant amounts of this is mined
under appalling conditions often by child labourers.”
• “Of the top 10 wealthiest people (all men), seven are tech billionaires. Their net worth is
US$ 847 billion or ZAR 13 trillion!”
2. INTRODUCTION (written for me by Prof Eccles)
In assignments 2, 3 and 4 we have, as a group, reflected on the facts above. We debated whether it was
ok for wealthiest six South Africans to earn on average R 77 million a day for the first six months of 2024.
Some of us thought this was a reflection of their business brilliance. Some of us thought that this was
morally outrageous.
We then debated the issue children working in appalling conditions in cobalt mines in the DRC. Although
most of us thought that this was a problem, we saw how other ethical interpretations were possible.
And in the final analysis we considered the possibility that these two scenarios – great wealth and great
poverty – might in fact be linked. On the basis of this, we debated whether the whole picture looked ok.
I think it is safe to say that most of us were left feeling a bit uneasy about things.
That is all well and good. But what about me? In this short essay, I’m going to think about this question.
I’ll start out by trying to figure out where I currently fit in in this picture. Then I’m going to think forward
in time. Specifically, I’m going to imagine what I hope my legacy will have been over the course of the
good (eudaimonic) life I have lived. In formulating this vision of a life well lived, I’m going to make
reference to key virtues or excellences (arête) that I think I will need to develop in order to achieve this
good life. And I’m going to think about the sort of problems that these excellences might present if
taken too far or not far enough.
3. WHERE DO I FIT IN NOW?
Reflecting on my current position within the economic landscape shaped
by the staggering wealth disparities highlighted in the background facts, I
find myself situated in the middle class, neither among the ultra-wealthy
nor in severe poverty. Utilizing the income simulator from WID.world, I
can ascertain that my financial circumstances afford me a reasonable
quality of life, yet I am far from the lavish lifestyle of South Africa's
wealthiest. On a day-to-day basis, I am grateful for the privileges that
come with being part of this class, such as access to education, stable
housing, and basic healthcare. However, I am also acutely aware of the
