Philosophy Paper

PHI 101-G Introduction to Philosophy, Spring 2021 Instructor: Hwan Ryu

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Introduction to Philosophy – Week 10 (1) Singer on Famine

Singer’s principle Stronger version: If it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought to do it.

cf. Qualified version: If it is in our power to prevent something very bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything morally significant, we ought to do it. e.g. “If I am walking past a shallow pond and see a child drowning in it, I ought to wade in and pull the child out. This will mean getting my clothes muddy, but this is insignificant, while the death of the child would presumably be a very bad thing.”

Singer: This principle might appear uncontroversial, but it has an implication that many people would find controversial (to say the least).

- Implication: In order to alleviate global poverty, you should give as much as you possibly can. This includes that you give up most of the expenditures that sustain the form of life you have had. - This follows because (i) Singer’s principle takes no account of proximity or distance, and (ii) what other people do is irrelevant to my moral obligations.

Government responsibilities? The idea: Perhaps giving (a lot) privately is not the best means to alleviate global poverty. Rather, the governments should take the responsibility. That’s going to be the more effective.

- Singer’s reply: This argument seems to assume the following: “if individuals privately give, this would make the governments to escape their responsibilities”. But this is an unsupported assumption. Unless it is shown that this assumption is true, the right conclusion is that you should give as well as try to influence the decision of your government.

Population control? The idea: Until there is effective population control, relieving famine merely postpones starvation. - Singer’s reply: This point can be granted. However, absence of effective population control does not exempt us from giving. How much should we give? Stronger version: “to very near the material circumstances of a Bengali refugee” Qualified version: “enough to ensure that the consumer society (...) would slow down and perhaps disappear entirely.”