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Peter Singer Analysis

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Part A - Explain Singers basic argument that we are obligated to give to aid agencies Peter Singer uses a utilitarian ethic insisting that our money can do more good being spent on aid abroad than being spent on our own luxuries. On this basis, claims that one may spend £100 pounds on a night out and attain pleasure from this; however, that one night could have instead funded four school children with a school meal for a whole year if it had instead been donated to oxfam. Singer also goes on to compare not saving lives through aid to letting a child drown. On this basis Singer claims that not wanting to ruin your new suit is the same as not saving a life on the grounds that you’d like to go out to dinner. He assumes this position as they …show more content…

So just as the child drowning in the lake is more important than the suit, the people you could feed are more important than your luxury dinner. Singer also excuses common objections to giving. He comments on the fact that we do actually “owe” the people in LEDC’s so we have to assume so responsibility for their circumstances. Singer states that our overconsumption, which has increased the magnitude of global warming, does not nearly affect us in MEDC’s as much as it does where climates are more severe, typically the LEDC’s which require our aid. As we are constantly increasing the difficulty for them to make a sustainable life it is necessary for us to help them overcome these problems. Furthermore, Singer goes on to question whether we really are entitled to all that we have. Many people object to giving on the grounds that they have worked hard for what they have earned and thus should be entitled to enjoy it for themselves. However, Singer states that 90% of wealth is determined by our capital, and so, as much as we may work hard, our wealth is ultimately determined by …show more content…

When Singer talks about government aid, what many people think may count as their “contribution” to society, he destroys the image that i) we are giving enough ii) we are giving it effectively. Singer draws light to the common misconception that 15-20% of US taxes is used for foreign aid, instead less than 1% is donated. However, what’s interesting is that most Americans thought that it should be at 5-10%. In drawing the distinction, Singer highlights the fact that not only does less money get sent to overseas aid than he expects, but considerably less than the average American also expects. In doing this, Singer offers opinions from people who aren’t necessarily as benevolent as he appears, making the statistics more relatable to the reader. In reference to ii) Singer manages to make explicit the amount of damage “overseas aid” can actually do. Coming from the government, of course they are going to try to benefit their country too. So, when you think <1% is being donated straight to poorer countries, it is actually making people profit in the US. So, the produce they buy is from american farmers, which then costs to ship and costs more than buying from the locals. What’s more, in doing this the aid of which the LEDC’s attain does actually hinder them as there is no need for the locals to farm as they cannot compete with the price of the aid, stopping development. In doing this,

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In Singer’s essay, “The Singer Solution to World Poverty,” the author begins by presenting the reader with the heartfelt scenario of the cost of a child vs. the cost of a new TV. Singer discusses how child trafficking with the intent of organ harvesting is the equivalent of purchasing a brand-new TV because in both cases one can improve conditions for children around the world, either by saving their life or by donating money to help them. Next, Singer goes into the narrative of a man named Bob. Bob has his entire life savings put into a precious Bugatti. However, Bob must make the choice to save his car or to flip the lever and save a child stuck on the railroad tracks.

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In Singer’s “The Singer Solution to World Poverty,” he argues the importance of donation to poor people, which could mean the difference between life and death for children in need. He gives an example for Bob, who has an opportunity to save a child’s life, but he could lose his worthy car. He makes a comparison between people who are capable to donate money to save children lives and people who have no chance to help or donate under certain situation such as Bob. He also encourages people who are in the middle class to donate at a minimum of 200$; furthermore, he thinks that people should donate more like 200.000$ when they consider the level of sacrifice that they would demand of Bob’s situation. He gives some estimates for the amount of donations that people should give to overseas.

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By providing a specific number, $200, Singer demonstrates how simple and reasonable it is to save a child in poverty. Additionally, he repeats, “to save a child’s life,” which demonstrates exactly what a $200 donation could do for a child in poverty. As an example, Singer references a credible philosopher, Peter Unger, and acknowledges that “by his calculation, $200 in donations would help a sickly 2-year-old transform into a healthy 6-year-old.” Next, he establishes, “if you were to give up dining out just for one month, you would easily save that amount.” Singer emphasizes this to show the reader how simple it is to save $200, and, more importantly, save the life of a helpless child.

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Peter Singer argues that prosperous people should donate their excess money to the overseas aid groups. When saying this, he believes Americans should stop spending their money on luxuries such as a TV, a computer, a car, and videogames. Instead of spending money on items such as that, he thought we should start sending money to those who are starving in other countries and need our help. There are pros and cons to Singer’s argument and both can be greatly supported.

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1078 Words | 5 Pages

Peter Singer himself writes, “We can give to organizations like Unicef or Oxfam America” (Singer, 737). If the wealthy people were to help the poor out, there is no reason to bother in using children of the poor to feed the wealthy. The money that will be provided can go into making shelters in which those children can live happily. There is no reason for those who do not trust organizations, to be selfish. They themselves can create their own organization, give children shelters and their parents a job as well.

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1292 Words | 6 Pages

Singer is no stranger to writing moral arguments, having written many different books and articles in the past on a wide range of ethical debates. “The Singer Solution to World Poverty,” originally printed in the New York Times in the fall of 1999 just before Singer began to work at Princeton University, is intended for the common man, a middle-class citizen who makes average wages and reads popular newspapers. As Singer is a professor of ethics, the article is structured around the

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Singer advises people to not follow Bob’s actions. Singer wants people to redeem themselves like Dora, and donate money as much as they could. Singer believes that if everyone would only spend on necessities then people would have money to save a child’s life. Therefore, Singer’s solution to world’s poverty would be successful by adding that people could donate to their own preference of charitable organization and donate as much as they

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In this paper I will be arguing against Peter Singer’s views on poverty, which he expresses in his paper “The Singer Solution to World Poverty”. Singer argues that all people with wealth surplus to their essential needs are morally obligated to prevent the suffering of those in dire situations. I will argue that you can not hold people morally obligated to prevent the suffering of others, and that people can only be held morally obligated to prevent suffering that they themselves caused. To begin, we will look at Singers beliefs and arguments regarding poverty and the responsibility of people to help those in need. Singer’s first arguments revolves around a girl named Dora, who is a retired schoolteacher, who is barely making a living writing

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Andy Mulligan has made a very clear and bold statement about the inequalities and injustices that exist in our world today through his novel Trash. He uses his novel to explore these issues by focusing on key themes such as Poverty/Wealth and Justice/Injustice. The theme Poverty/Wealth conveys Mulligan’s statement about the inequalities of our world by using real-world examples of poverty and prosperity situations in his novel. Additionally, by exploring justice/injustice we see that Mulligan elaborates on a distinct and definite line between fair and unfair actions and their outcomes throughout his novel Trash. Therefore, the injustices and inequalities of our world today are clearly communicated and observed through Andy Mulligan’s novel.

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Singer attempts to close this gap with the age old question of ‘why don’t we give the riches’ money to the poor’. The essence of Singer’s argument is obviously end world poverty. Probably the strongest point made in Singer’s argument is the involvement of the whole world. By taking this money from those across the world eliminates the opportunity for indifference. To stand with indifference is to stand with the oppressor.

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3128 Words | 13 Pages

There can be no doubt that people should be morally free to live their own lives and pursue and develop their own interests, to a certain degree at the very least. This necessitates then that a person is morally permitted to dedicate one’s time, energy, and money to activities that don’t directly have an impact on famine relief or similar worthy causes. For example, it could frequently happen and has happened whereby certain pursuits and recreations have beneficial and favourable outcomes and consequences that could not have been foreseen. My argument lies with the issue that if people are not free to follow their intellectual interests when it is not obvious what positive impact they might have, or whether they would have any positive repercussions at all, humanity in general could be worse off than we actually are. This is tied to Singer’s argument if people are obligated to do as much as they possibly can, to aid famine relief, they would have to give up many of their own special projects and interests in order to do so.

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In one circumstance, we may feel the need to give to those who are poor to keep them from getting in our personal space; and in other circumstances we feel that we give to others out of the kindness of our heart. I completely agree with Ascher and her views on compassion, because I have been in similar situation where I have questioned why people give money, and whether they give with a whole heart or out of necessity. Furthermore, this essay can teach us plenty of lessons that can be utilized throughout our lives so we can teach others and make them aware of the need to be more

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Language has a significant role in success of a literary piece. For a writer it is important what he wishes to write but it is also noteworthy how the writer expresses it. To communicate effectively, it is not sufficient to have well structured ideas expressed in complete and coherent sentences but one must also pay heed to the style, tone and clarity of his/her writing. The compactness and lucidity of style speaks about the greatness of the writer and also attracts attention of literary giants. William Shakespeare is such an eminent writer whose works are in the annals of great writings even in the 21st century.

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