Analysis Of The Principle Of Sacrifice By Singer

The principle proposed by Singer would be the most persuasive to prompt households to donate more money to foreign aid compared to Pogge and Miller. However, this would only work if everyone agreed to follow his principle. Singer’s “Principle of Sacrifice” is based off of three main ideas: global poverty is bad, we must respond to this suffering, and that charity is not enough to ameliorate this suffering. These points are most effective ways to convince U.S. citizens that they have an ethical duty to assist the global poor. These universal ideas are applicable to every person at every time, and would convince U.S. citizens that helping the global poor is a priority.
Singer places importance on the fact that we are not obligated to sacrifice to help others if that act is something of greater moral importance, and that the concept of charity is not sufficient because it implies that someone can choose whether to donate money to the global poor (Pogge & Horton, 3). Singer believes the idea of giving money to help the global poor should not be a choice, and by using the word “charity,” we are allowing others to deny them aid and feel no guilt.

The universal ethical principle states that every person has an equal right to a dignified life (Chojnacki). This implies that Singer’s principle demands equal respect for all people. Singer’s principle is the most persuasive, but is unrealistic because of the demands it places on the individuals. Many criticize his principle because it demands too much of the individual, endangers the whole prospect of giving to the poor because he states it is acceptable to not help if the demand is too high, and because that he believes people have the same obligation to everyone, regardless of