Peter Singer
Explication of Peter Singer's "Famine, Affluence, and Morality"
Peter Singer's objective in "Famine, Affluence, and Morality" is to raise activism in the general public with regard to ending famine and conditions of abject poverty. The focus of the article concerns the public's need to take greater action. His argument stems from his view that "At the individual level, people have, with very few exceptions, not responded to the situation in any significant way" (1). Thus, people have a moral obligation to assist those who are impoverished, and even those in remote locations should not be excluded from aid.
A main focus of Singer's article concerns moral utility, and exactly how much people are morally obligated to provide to those who are impoverished. Singer argues that there has traditionally been an overly severe distinction between duty and charity; people are quick to fulfill their duties, while charity is viewed as activities that…...
against Voluntary Euthanasia on Life Support
In his essay, Voluntary Euthanasia: A Utilitarian Perspective, Peter Singer reviews ethical arguments regarding voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide from a utilitarian perspective. Thesis: Singer establishes a solid grounding for the ethicality of legalizing voluntary euthanasia by arguing that the human right to pursue their notion of the good should be respected. Also, he satisfactorily disposes of common objections to legalization by showing them to be either manageable or premature.
Explanation of Singer's Position
Singer concludes that, from a utilitarian perspective, the legalization of voluntary euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide would be a desirable reform.
He reasons that the objections against Euthanasia based on the availability of alternative treatments can be resolved through procedures to certify that such treatments are insufficient.
He then addresses the only viable objection, that legalizing voluntary euthanasia will lead to a slippery slope of increased non-voluntary euthanasia decisions. He disposes of this final objection…...
mlaBibliography
Singer, P. (October 1, 2003). Voluntary euthanasia: A Utilitarian Perspective. Bioethics, 17, 526-541.
Prowse, M. (January 4, 2003). FT WEEKEND - THE FRONT LINE: Don't take liberties with the right to die, Financial Times.
Singer, 541
534, 537
Famine, Affluence, Morality," Peter Singer, discuss: a. Explain Singer's goal article, present Singer's argument supports position. b. Explain counter-arguments Singer's position addresses article, summarize Singer's responses counter-arguments.
"Famine, affluence, and morality" by Peter Singer
In his essay "Famine, affluence, and morality," Peter Singer asks why the major industrial nations of the world fail to act in assisting poorer and destitute nations, despite the fact they have enough resources to do so. Singer argues that it is just as immoral for a First World nation to refuse to offer aid to a nation in the developing world as it is to refuse to save a child from drowning in a shallow pond if the personal risks and costs to the individual are nil other than getting one's clothes dirty. The reasons we do not aid these countries is because they subjectively seem very far away, even though real children are dying (Singer…...
mlaReference
Singer, P. (1972). Famine, affluence, and morality. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 1 (3):
229-242. Retrieved from:
http://philosophyfaculty.ucsd.edu/faculty/rarneson/Singeressayspring1972.pdf
Famine, Affluence, Morality
Peter Singer's principle goal of "Famine, Affluence and Morality" is to get members of society to alter their contemporary conceptions of morality. His primary means of achieving this goal is to get people to rethink the notion of giving charity to those in need. He utilizes the 1971 destitution of people in Bengal as a case study in which he urges the affluent to change their view of morality so that they donate money and time to help the indigent. The author's assumption is that by getting people to understand the moral obligation in helping those in need, such as those in Bengali who have been ravaged by "Constant poverty, a cyclone, and civil war" (Singer, 1971, p.229), he will effectively change the way people consider moral situations. This change in their thinking will then influence their propensity for aiding other people in other situations outside of Bengal,…...
mlaReferences
Singer, P. (1991). "A refutation of ordinary morality." Ethics. 101 (3): 625-633.
Singer, P. (1972). "Famine, affluence and morality." Philosophy & Public Affairs. 1 (3): 229-243.
Singer, P. (2007). "Review essay on the moral demands of affluence." Philosophy and Phenomenological Research. 75 (2): 475-483.
Famine, Affluence, And Morality by Peter Singer
Peter Singer's 1972 article is intended to provoke thought on the issue of the more fortunate's moral obligation toward the less fortunate. Singer uses the famine in East Bengal to claim that affluent countries and individuals have a moral obligation to give far more than they do to help relieve the suffering and death from lack of food, shelter and medical care experienced in the region at the time. Singer argues that people who live in affluent countries must radically change their way of life and their conception of morality so that they will become committed to helping those in need. He asserts that "…the way people in relatively affluent countries react to a situation like that in Bengal cannot be justified; indeed the whole way we look at moral issues -- our moral conceptual scheme -- needs to be altered, and with it…...
mlaReferences
Corbett, B. (1995, Fall). Moral obligation to distant others. Webster University. Retrieved August 23, 2012, from http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/philosophy/moral/others/distant.html
Driver, J. (2009, Summer). The history of utilitarianism. TheStanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Edward N. Zalta (ed.) Retrieved August 24, 2012, from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/utilitarianism-history/
Singer, P. (1972, Spring). Famine, influence and morality. Philosophy and public affairs. Vol. 1, No. 1, 229-243. Retrieved August 20, 2012, from http://www.utilitarian.net/singer/by/1972-.htm
Famine, Affluence, and Morality" (1972) by Peter Singer introduces its readers to numerous social issues that Singer states have been vastly ignored. The issues deal with the lack of progress in the betterment of society and although the article was originally written more than four decades ago, the situation around the globe remains unchanged. Singer's goal in this article is to present a side not widely taken. To him, the social problems infesting the lives of individuals seem to be quite obvious, yet his discontent with people's attitudes is quite apparent in this article. His primary argument in the article however, is that in order to solve the issues that he sees as being obviously manageable is to give to those who need it most. Throughout the article he points out to these exact societal problems and the financial turmoil that various communities around the world were facing at the…...
mlaReferences:
BBC. (2013). Ethics Guide: Argument against charity. BBC. Retrieved 22 April 2013 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/charity/against_1.shtml
Gallager, M. (2011). The world at seven billion. BBC News Magazine. Retrieved 22 April 2013 from
Singer's goal is a very noble one. Through his article, Singer is attempting to dispel many of the more common notions of moral obligation and charity. His article attempts to provide the reader with concrete notions of moral obligation as they relate to overall human behavior. He presents various notions such as the need to help others irrespective of proximity or geographic preference. Singer, through his article also provides evidence as to the absurd thinking prevailing in the developed nations regarding charity. I particularly applaud how Singer contrast's man's desire for clothes with the need to preventing starvation. In the article Singer shows how many unnecessarily spend money on items that provide no moral benefit to society, while others in neighboring countries are starving. The goal of this article is for those in the developed nations to rethink how they regard moral obligation and charity. The article's goal is…...
mlaReferences:
1. Cottingham, John (1996). Western philosophy: an anthology. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 455-461. ISBN 978-0-631-18627
2. Shafer-Landau, Russ (2007). Ethical theory: an anthology. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 506-523. ISBN 978-1-4051-3320-3.
3. Pojman, Louis P. (2003). Moral philosophy: a reader. Hackett. pp.313- 344. ISBN 978-0-87220-661-8.
SINGE
Euthanasia
The Singer debate 'are there some lives not worth living:'
The sanctity of life and utilitarianism
Professor Peter Singer is a well-known utilitarian who advocates the right of parents to commit infanticide based upon utilitarian premises: he argues that the resources expended by keeping such children alive are too great and it would make more sense to allow families to adopt instead healthy children with a greater chance at happiness. Disability activist Harriet McBryde Johnson, who says that she would not be alive if this type of calculus had been employed notes: "But like the protagonist in a classical drama, Singer has his flaw. It is his unexamined assumption that disabled people are inherently 'worse off,' that we 'suffer,' that we have lesser 'prospects of a happy life'" (Johnson 2003: 12). However, Johnson also argues against assisted suicide entirely, even with the consent of the person who feels that his or her…...
mlaReferences
Doerflinger, J. (1989). Assisted suicide: Pro-choice or anti-life?
Johnson, H. (2003). Unspeakable conversations. The New York Times.
Rachels, J. (1986). The morality of euthanasia.
This postmodernist writing that finally ends up having a dialogue with itself reveals an idea common to most of the postmodern art: that language and formulations, as means of expression, are also a means of finding the meaning of something, and that most often, meanings do not reside out of language.
But, at the same time, Handke also demonstrates that the life can sometimes be to terrible to be expressed in language.
The book ends, significantly, with the same Handke sitting at his desk and reading the article about the suicide of a woman. It is not only that the writing turns upon itself, to reveal that the most important subject of the book has not been altogether elucidated and has not been given meaning to yet, but also, the fact that the author is in front if a piece if a newspaper article relating this event is crucial: the newspaper does…...
mlaWorks Cited
Handke, Peter a Sorrow Beyond Dreams, New York: Farrar Straus and Giroux, 1975
Klinkowitz, Jerome the Self Apparent Word, Fiction as Language, Language as Fiction Illinois: Southern Illinois Press, 1994
Wertheimer, Alison a Special Scar: The Experience of the People Bereaved by Suicide, New York: Routledge, 2001
Puff (the Magic Dragon)" by Peter, Paul, and Mary
During the 1960s, one of the revolutionary developments that changed the landscape of American culture and history was the establishment of the Hippie Movement. The Hippies, as the people of this movement were called, popularized the "apolitical counterculture," wherein the Hippies did not subsist to "materialism, convention (of the society), and authority." Instead, they resorted to their newfound ideal of a "communal" form of society and a culture driven and motivated by rock music, sex, and drugs (Microsoft Encarta 2002).
With drugs and rock music being the main motivators that shaped American culture during the 1960s, many music bands had emerged, which glorifies the new principle behind the Hippie Movement. esides rock music, traditional folk music came into being once again, only this time, a mixture of rock influence was infused with traditional folk music. One of these bands who have been…...
mlaBibliography
Lipton, L. And P. Yarwood. E-text of "Puff (the Magic Dragon)." Available at http://www.peterpaulandmary.com/music/f-02-05.htm .
Mikkelson, B. And D. Mikkelson. "Puff." 2001. Urban Legends Reference Pages Web site. 26 May 2003 http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/puff.htm .
United States (History)." Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2002. Microsoft Inc. 1998.
Family Affluence and Morality
Famine, Affluence, Morality by Peter Singer
Peter Singer's article has been reviewed with the intention of understanding his basic ideas about poverty and hunger alleviation. Simultaneously the many criticisms associated with his arguments have also been highlighted with a view to rebutting them and proving the feasibility of Singer's noble ideas.
"Famine, Affluence, Morality" is a famous dissertation scripted by Peter Singer in 1971. It aims to modify the standard estern culture by urging people to perform acts of charity. It articulates that more affluent individuals are morally and ethically obligated to donate as much as they can to the people who need resources the most. It is as such, an essay that is considered a humanitarian doctrine of sorts which authentically argues over the reasons as to why one ought to give more. It is based on the less than favorable conditions of Bangladesh's ar refugees of 1971,…...
mlaWorks Cited
Coope, C.M. (2003, October). Peter Singer In Retrospect. The Philosophical Quarterly, 53. Retrieved February 2013, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3542922
Singer, P. (1972). Famine, Affluence, Morality. Philosophy and Public Affairs. Retrieved February 2013
Singer, P. (1999). The Solution to World Poverty. The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved February 2013
Bioethics
Abortion ranks amongst the most widely questionable subjects examined and discussed all through the world today. Is it accurate to say that it is legitimate? Is it precise to say that it is not an ethical decision? These are simply a couple of the inquiries that arise thereto. One thought is that fetus removal is thought to be reasonable when viewed through the utilitarian viewpoint. The discussion that follows will contemplate on that.
Abortion (Debate Basics):
The premature birth deliberation questions if it can be ethically right to bring an end to pregnancy unnaturally (BBC Ethics). Thinker Ted Lockhart offers a practical answer for taking care of moral issues that can help decide whether to go in for abortion (BBC Ethics). Lockhart proposes that we ought to "exercise discretion based on ethically acceptable values" (BBC Ethics). Interpreted in a simplified manner this means that where we need to settle on an…...
mlaReferences:
1)
"Introduction to the Abortion Debate." BBC. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. .
2)
Singer, Peter. Rethinking Life and Death: The Collapse of Our Traditional Ethics. 1st ed. St. Martins, 1996. Print.
Further Consideration of the Issues:
Actually, Singer's use of the term absolute affluence is not perfectly analogous (because the corresponding analog to the conditions of absolute poverty are those of extravagant wealth not working class wealth), but the idea itself is still valid just the same. The point is simply that once human society in part of the world reached the point where even most of those considered "poor" receive adequate nutrition, shelter, and the most basic emergency medical care (etc.), a moral duty arises whereby helping the less fortunate should be more important than self-centered concerns about increasing one's wealth relative to others in the manner that different levels of affluence are defined in wealthier nations.
It is important that Singer acknowledges the difference between ideals that people should uphold and ideals that people must uphold, because it is likely impossible to establish a logical justification for compelled charity, regardless…...
Ethics and Morality -- Ethics and Development
The problem of "development" (or, perhaps "progress" and "advancement" also fits in this context) is that while many millions of citizens of the world have been blessed by dramatic progress (technological, industrial, and communications) over the past few decades, many millions are being left behind. Indeed, while millions are living better, living more comfortable lives, countless millions are not benefiting in the least from this social and economic development. In fact, the gap between the "haves" and "have-nots" is said to be widening, and this is a cause for great concern.
Millions of African children are AIDS and HIV victims, simply because they were born to mothers who suffered from AIDS and HIV; millions of other African people are suffering malnutrition, starvation, and live in hopelessness and dread. Millions of people in Third World countries do not have clean reliable drinking water or proper medical…...
mlaResources Defense Council. 2003. EPA Officially Rolls Back Clean Air Act
Protections [online]; available from http://www.nrdc.org/bushrecord/articles/br_1409.asp?t=t .
Singer, Peter. 2002. One World: The Ethics of Globalization. New Haven: Yale
Basudeb Biswas, "Development as Freedom," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, February 2002, 252.
Andrew Davidson, "Amartya Sen, Development as Freedom," Social Analysis, 46 (Summer 2002): 161.
In this example, morality is decided by the gain, pleasure, and other self-interest of the individual donning the ring. Such individuals would more than likely obtain this gain by committing illicit activities, such as robbing a bank, but use their winnings for fairly self-absorbed means to further their consumption of whatever suits their fancy. Houses, cars, women and other material items would more than likely be procured, for the simple fact that the individual is sating his own personal desires. In this case there is no need to act ethically, since the bearer of the ring is outside of the judgment (both literally and figuratively) of others, whose morals no longer apply to that individual.
The Rashomon effect describes the degree of subjectivity involved in the recollection of a memory, and is what is attributed to the fact that different people may recall the same incident with conflicting descriptions of…...
mlaWorks Cited
1. Singer, Peter. How Are We To Live? (1995). New York: Prometheus Books
Animal Rights: An Ethical and Social Imperative
Introduction
In recent years, the discourse surrounding animal rights has gained significant momentum, challenging traditional notions of human supremacy and fostering a growing awareness of the inherent value of all living beings. This essay seeks to delve into the ethical and social implications of animal rights, arguing that they are not only morally imperative but also essential for the well-being of both humans and animals.
The Intrinsic Value of Animals
At the heart of the animal rights movement lies the fundamental belief that animals possess intrinsic value, irrespective of their utility to humans. Philosophers, such as Tom....
I. Introduction
II. Body
III. Conclusion
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