The Samaritan’s Dilemma Fifty Years Later: Historical Appraisal and Contemporary Relevance

The Samaritan’s dilemma arises when someone wishes to assist another person to avoid the displeasure of seeing the other’s suffering—but the recipient parasitically accepts the assistance and exerts little effort to care for himself. Fifty years after James Buchanan explored this problem, his essay remains relevant for understanding a range of social problems, as this symposium’s papers demonstrate. The papers show the need for a strong ethic of responsibility, strategic courage, and institutional restraints to solve the dilemma.

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