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Summary Of The Singer Solution To World Poverty

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Most people are ignorant to the fact that $200 can help a diseased two year- old become a healthy six year-old in a foreign country. In his article, The Singer Solution to World Poverty, Peter Singer speaks on how everyday Americans can help those in need. This article questions the morality of mankind through the use of several stories. In this article, Singer brings the moral conscious of mankind into question by examining the habits of everyday people; although strong, his stance is flawed. In this article, Singer employs the use of short stories to help him explore the tendencies of mankind, Americans in particular. He opens the article by telling the story of a movie being shown of a retired schoolteacher, Dora, trying to make ends meet. …show more content…

This weakness lies in what Singer failed to mention. There is no doubt that he is correct when he states that American consumers spend money on what they don’t need. He is also accurate when he states that many families have the opportunity to do chartable work but chose not to. For example, he mentions a study done by Peter Ugne. In this research, it was found that $200, is all that is needed to save the life of a sick child in a foreign country. People work hard for their money and it is wrong to tell them they should not enjoy the profits of their hard work. Singers stance would be more appealing if he acknowledged this fact, and spoke of it. Telling people to downsize and live on the bare minimum while giving the rest to charity is unrealistic in this society. If Singer had presented this stance, his argument would be stronger for he would be acknowledging both sides of the situation and seeking a solution that would accommodate everyone. Sending the $200 or supporting an organization are great ways to help but telling people to not to go out and buy a new television set even though they worked for it may not sit well with many. In this article, Peter Singer examines the moral conscious of mankind, especially Americans, by viewing their habits. In order to do so, he employs the use of short stories to illustrate human tendencies. Although solid, his stance is flawed because he does not acknowledge humans right to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Overall, his position is clear and concise, it is the responsibility all humans to help all the less

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