Peter Singer is an Australian philosopher whose solution to world poverty is overwhelmingly known globally. He has an excellent idea that is keenly and carefully looked into by many across the world. Peter clearly understands that the world poverty solution can only be addressed and solved if individuals from rich countries are willing and are in a position to offer their luxurious wealth to the needy. He, however, asserts that it is not necessary to spend money on assets like television, cars, movies, expensive meals, and brand new clothes as well (singer, 223). Singer categorically states to the Americans that if they can donate their luxuries to the poor, then they can prevent them from dying from preventable diseases and malnutrition (225). It is …show more content…
Singer gives out two hypothesis scenarios to base his argument on. First, he talks about a Brazilian woman by the name Dora who has got an opportunity to earn $1000 to convince a street boy to accompany her to an address after being told that the child will be adopted by a rich family (224).
Immediately Dora is through with the assignment, she gets paid and decides to buy television for entertainment. She later receives information that the boy will get his organ cut off instead of being adopted. Dora then decides to help the child escape from the peddlers (singer, 224). Singer says that at least 50% of the Unites States families just like Dora, use one third of their money to purchase unnecessary assets just like the television that she bought (225). He goes ahead to demonstrate that because of the Americans failing to donate their funds, one more child is dying on the streets. He asserts that the failure is the same as selling a child’s organ to the peddlers (Singer,
Imagine if a child you dearly loved stood waiting while people cast their bids on her. What would you do? Amos Fortune, a freed slave, faced this exact situation. Lois Burdoo and her five children lived in great poverty. After the tragic death of her husband, Moses Burdoo, she struggled to provide her children’s daily needs. Eventually, she became unable to care for her oldest two children, Polly and Moses, and sadly put them up to vendue. Amos should have bought Polly because of three essential points: generosity embodied him, love inspired him, and poverty consumed her.
The idea of this essay is to explain how poverty is being represented the wrong way by nonprofit organizations here at home. The author uses the title to explain to the readers that poverty is not being represented the correct way. The way organizations represent poverty is by using images from a third world country instead of using pictures of people that live here at home that are living at poverty. The author explains how there are children here in America that need help just to get their basic needs, she explains “There are so many children like her – children that are deprived of their basic necessities right here in America” (George 668). The author is referring to “Mandy”. The picture of the girl on the Children Inc. flyer. She looks normal but she is need of help. The title gives an understanding to the reader about what is about to be
Saint Augustine once said, “Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.” (Augustine). Augustine's belief that it is the duty of the individual to assist those less fortunate than themselves is expressed in the essay "The Singer Solution to World Poverty" by Peter Singer. Singer shares his conviction that those living in luxury should support those struggling to survive in poverty. Singer adopts the persona of a sage utilitarian philosopher who judges the morality of actions based on the consequences that are wrought by them. Singer utilizes powerful pathos, rhetorical questions, ethos, and a bold tone which contributes to his purpose of persuading his intended audience of American consumers to live only on necessity rather than luxury as well as to donate their discretionary income to the impoverished.
“The Singer Solution to World Poverty” by Peter Singer is a persuasive article trying to influence people to donate money to save children’s lives. Peter Singer stated, “Evolutionary psychologists tell us that human nature just isn’t sufficiently altruistic to make it plausible that many people will sacrifice so much for strangers… they would be wrong to draw moral conclusions to that fact”. First, Singer tells a story about a retired school teacher who doesn’t have extra money. Dora, the school teacher, is given a chance to make a thousand dollars by walking a homeless child to a house, in which she was given the address for. She then walks the child to the house, and then later Dora’s neighbors tell her that the child was probably killed
In other words, Singer believes that unless you can find something wrong with the following argument, you will have to drastically change your lifestyle and how you spend your money. Although some people might believe that his conclusion is too radical, Singer insists that it is the logical result of his argument. In sum, his view is that all affluent people should give much more to famine relief. While I agree with Singer’s argument in principle, I have a problem with his conclusion. In my view, the conclusion that Singer espouses is underdeveloped.
Singer presents his argument specifically in terms of famine relief and, although it has broader applicability, the discussion mostly falls under this specific topic. Thus, he conforms his argument around aspects relevant to famine and/or poverty when laying out his three core premises.
In his article, the author Peter Singer presents valid points within his work in a way that provokes one to question their morals and ethics. He rationalizes the gift of donation in an unconventional but motivating manor. The purpose of “The Singer Solution to World Poverty” is to encourage people to reevaluate his or her ability to contribute to the underprivileged people of the world. Singer is addressing this article to any person with the ability to donate. The author makes it clear that nearly everyone has the ability to make a difference is others lives. Additionally, in “The Singer Solution to World Poverty”, the author explain that we have a duty to give, but he is not stating whether it is a duty of justice in Narveson’s sense. He is not stating if would be morally correct for anyone to force us or impose to us to give to the needy. This author is trying to persuade or convince people to give voluntarily. The author is not enforcing to do something, this is contrary to Narveson’s position “enforced fee”. “The Singer Solution to World Poverty” addresses the urgency for a more generous world. Peter Singer presents valid points within his work in a way that provokes one to question their morals and ethics. He rationalizes the gift of donation in an unconventional but motivating manor. The main purpose of “The Singer Solution to World Poverty” is to
Peter Singer a philosopher and professor at Princeton University who wrote the essay titled “Famine, Affluence, and Morality”, where he argues that wealthy people have a moral obligation to help provide to developing nation’s resources that would increase their standard of living and decrease death due to starvation, exposure, and preventable sicknesses. John Arthur’s essay argues that Singer says that all affluent people have a moral obligation to give their money to poor people to the extent that the wealthy person would be on the same level as the poor person, poor people have no positive right to our assistance, and wealthy people have a negative right to their property, which weighs against their obligation.
The writer behind “Singers Solution to World Poverty” advocates that U.S. citizens give away the majority of their dispensable income in order to end global suffering. Peter Singer makes numerous assumptions within his proposal about world poverty, and they are founded on the principle that Americans spend too much money on items and services that they do not need.
Pogge critiques Singer’s view on helping the global crisis because Singer has “the tacit assumption that we are not contributing to the distress we are able to alleviate” (Mieth 20). He says this specifically of the example of the child drowning that Singer gives. Despite the fact that Pogge and Singer would agree that the bystander is morally responsible for trying to save the child, Pogge points out one specific difference between this case and the case of world poverty. Unlike the bystanders, those living in affluent societies are at least partially responsible for the poverty of those around the world. The global systems created with a Washington consensus, as well as years of colonialism, have effectively assured the poverty of developing nations. As such, not only is it a violation of rights not to help the poor, giving to the poor is actually compensation for years of the poor’s rights to non-poverty being
Famine, Affluence, and Morality; Singer suggested, “we should prevent bad occurrences unless, to do so, we had to sacrifice something morally significant” (C&M, 827). However, different philosophers and writers have criticized his view and the general idea to help the poor.
When someone works hard to earn their money I believe it is up to that person how they want to spend it. According to Peter Singer (“The Singer Solution to World Poverty,” in G. Muller’s The New World Reader, pp. 361-368), it is immoral to spend money unnecessarily when that money can be used to help a starving child. I disagree with this statement. I am going to discuss my opinion on poverty and how I believe that spending money unnecessarily is not immoral.
Peter Singer practices utilitarianism, he believes the consequence of an action matters more than the reason behind the action. Singer is trying to convince his audience to donate their money to end world poverty. He believes it is moral to give as much money as the person can give, allowing them to purchase just enough for them to live on, and this will be the right action to take. Singer is aiming toward the United States to contribute more to charity. Singer does not consider specific aspects that do not support his argument and causes his argument to not list specific aspects of his belief. Singer’s argument is not a good argument because he does not consider the ramifications of people donating their surplus of money would do to the economy; is it our duty to feed the poor; and that our moral intuitions are not consequentialist at all when it concerns what our rescue duties entail.
Poverty is a pertinent global issue that affects a surprisingly large percentage of the world’s population. This issue will continue to spread unless there is serious action taken against it by developed nations and the world government.
I don’t think of the starving children as I’m shopping for a new pair of jeans or shoes. After reading Singer’s article, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality” I understand how remotely “immoral” not contributing to the solution of world hunger is if it is in our ability to do so, the importance of marginal utility, and the effects of this topic in Ethics.