Other things equal, I have an equal duty to help strangers in a far off land as I have to help my next door neighbors; and I can have a duty to help even at significant cost to myself and my family.
Other things equal, I have an equal duty to help strangers in a far off land as I have to help my next door neighbors; and I can have a duty to help even at significant cost to myself and my family.
Singer sees this as true.
Singer's view here leads him to take a strong position on our duty to help poor people in other countries. If you follow him here, you will, like Singer, give a significant part of your income (perhaps 10 or 20 percent) to help such people.
Singer is a utilitarian -- holding that we ought to do whatever maximizes good consequences for everyone.
Other things equal, I have an equal duty to help strangers in a far off land as I have to help my next door neighbors; and I can have a duty to help even at significant cost to myself and my family.
Singer sees this as true.
You may disagree with Singer on various grounds. Maybe you think that we ought to do whatever maximizes good consequences for ourselves (egoism) -- or for those of our race or country or religion or whatever. Or maybe you think that our duty to others depends in part on how we are related to them (so we have stronger duties toward our family or neighbors than to strangers).
Other things equal, I have an equal duty to help strangers in a far off land as I have to help my next door neighbors; and I can have a duty to help even at significant cost to myself and my family.
Singer sees this as true.
Some disagree with Singer on various grounds. Some think that we ought to do whatever maximizes good consequences for ourselves (egoism) -- or for those of our race or country or religion or whatever. And some think that our duty to others depends in part on how we are related to them (so we have stronger duties toward our family or neighbors than to strangers).