Preview

Analysis of What Shuold a Billionaire Give and What Should You? by Peter Singer's

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2677 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Analysis of What Shuold a Billionaire Give and What Should You? by Peter Singer's
Faulty Thinking in “What Should a Billionaire Give – and What Should You?”
Peter Singer's persuasive essay strips us bare of our selfish wants as he equates our tendency to accumulate all the stuff we don’t need with ignoring the plight of drowning children and, as such, being responsible for the death of those children. We are, Singer convincingly argues, products of our fortunate “social capital”; therefore, we have an obligation to those who do not have a social capital.
Life is priceless. It is God’s greatest gift and should be returned to the Creator through good actions and charity. From this perspective rose philanthropy, with the aim of improving human life quality. Many attempts to “fight global poverty” were led during this century by some individuals but the core of the solution lies , according to Peter Singer in his article “What Should a Billionaire Give – and What Should You?”, in the collaboration between all classes of people. Singer dissects through his persuasive essay the different reasons that led to disparity and philanthropy, in addition to the exposure of a strategy in order to combat poverty in developing countries.
The history of developing countries has always been marked with poverty. The origins of scarcity may lie in the field of colonization and the exploitation of people, lands and resources by the European empire-building in the nineteenth century. As a fact, poor people had less access to health, education and other services. Therefore, the percentage of disease, ignorance and wars increased dramatically thus worsening the situation and dragging poor countries into even deeper problems. Then, with the twentieth century, rose globalization and the promise held by developed countries to help inferior countries escape poverty by elaborating strong bonds between nations and offering spiritual, economical, emotional and physical aid.
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    In Peter Singer’s 1972 article Famine, Affluence, and Morality, he describes the dire situation that nine million refugees faced in East Bengal in 1971 and urges the wealthier, or affluent, nations to take immediate and long term moral actions to stop the spread of extreme global poverty. With this, he offers a philosophical approach to a new world where, instead of giving to charity, everyone living in these affluent nations ought to make it their duty to give anything of excess to those suffering across the globe and live at the marginal utility, which he would prefer. He also offers a less drastic option of moderate assistance wherein those who are able to assist ought to, as long as it does not create a similar moral dilemma. Critics argue that rewriting the moral scheme from charity to a concrete duty would be far too drastic and would unfairly condemn those who choose to “live the good life”; that too much effort would cause us to become less effective; and finally, that if everyone were in similar positions, then an equal amount would be given by all, but the result would actually be less than if some gave everything they had while others gave nothing.…

    • 1337 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Within his work, Peter Singer presents an argument that the people who live in affluent countries, the developed world, must drastically change their way of life and their conception of morality in order to help those in need. He begins by giving us an example of a case of famine, Bengal 1971, where people have been suffering and no one was doing anything to even try to alleviate the problem, this includes the government. I have summarized his arguments in the following ways: 1. Suffering caused by the lack of food, shelter, and medical care services is bad, and 2. If we can prevent something bad from happening, without sacrificing something…

    • 1132 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Singer begins his essay with Dora, a schoolteacher, who sells an orphan awaiting to have his organs sold in a black market for a new television set. Eventually, Dora regrets her immoral decision and rescues the boy from his fate. Singer compares this act to Americans, who spend their income on food, clothes and vacations by suggesting that the money spent could have made a “difference between life and death for children in need” (327). Singer goes on to compare how the situations are similar, pointing out that the only difference is ignoring an issue that isn’t in your presence and one that is. Singer continues by calling himself a “utilitarian philosopher” and defines his character by stating that he judges acts by their consequences (327). Singer then introduces Bob and his expensive Buggati. Bob chooses to save his car from a train even though he could have saved a child’s life by destroying his prized possession, and compares this story to…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Is it possible to quantify our charitable burden? In the following essay, Singer offers some unconventional thoughts about the ordinary American's obligations to the world's poor and suggests that even his own one-fifth standard may not be enough.…

    • 3113 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Peter Singer Famine

    • 1945 Words
    • 8 Pages

    In “Famine, Affluence, and Morality” Peter Singer argues the importance of giving to those in need, especially as those of us in affluent nations have an overabundance of resources. In this paper, I will exposit Singer’s argument and explain the methods and points that he makes. Specially, I will show that through his assumptions and implications, as well as how he refutes counter arguments…

    • 1945 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    I, as a senior at Rutgers University, am one of hundreds of millions of people who could devote a substantial quantity of less money on things that do not boost any effectiveness but my own. For the equivalent quantity of money I spend on an iClicker, I could provide a family in Zimbabwe access to the basic necessities of life. Singer argues we have widespread obligations to the world's poor, but we can meet them without being deprived of all of our worldly assets and possessions. This essay aims to defend Singer's arguments that we, fitting a picture of absolute affluence, have a moral obligation to help those in poverty.…

    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the article “The Singer Solution to World Poverty”, the author Peter Singer mainly argues that people who are rich should be donate their money to the poor ones instead of spending to buying something unessential like cars, fancy restaurant or luxuries, etc. Then Singer list two examples to support his idea.…

    • 266 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    World poverty has existed for many centuries and still exists today, gradually expanding and intensifying. This is the topic that Pete Singer, a professor of bioethics, calls attention to in his article “The Singer Solution to World Poverty.” Singer claimed that the solution was simple; “whatever money you’re spending on luxuries, not necessities, should be given away.” Considering Singer’s “solution” a controversial point arises between an idealistic, utopian, and morally just point of view and a realistic, pragmatic, and plausible point of view. Singer’s solution, although righteous and ethical, is not probable and thus would not be effective in curing world poverty.…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Peter Singer Poverty

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “It is a tragic mix-up when the United States spends $500,000 for every enemy soldier killed, and only $53 annually on the victims of poverty”, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This fact indicates how poverty is an issue that needs more attention because of it’s significant impact on the people in the world. Peter Singer, an Australian humanist and philosopher, addresses the dilemma of poverty world-wide in his essay, The Singer Solution to Poverty. Singer argues how it is wrong for an individual to live well without giving substantial amounts of money to help people who are hungry, malnourished, and dying from easily treatable illnesses. In the matter of defending and qualifying Singer’s argument, people should be more aware of the issue of poverty.…

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    He feels that have a moral obligation to help people who are suffering no matter how far away from us they are. Singer feels that the rich and the affluence have a predetermined obligation to help the poor and needy, because they already have so much. He also argues that human’s persecute of luxury over the idea of evenly distributing the basic necessities of life for everyone is just plain wrong. He defends this argument when he states, “A person who has a super abundance has obligation to the poor”. (Singer,…

    • 1108 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Peter Singer is the author to the “The Singer Solution to World Poverty” article. Singer 's essay argues that there is basically no reason why Americans should not be donating their extra money to those in need. Singer addresses the urgency to donate by appealing to the reader 's sense of ethos, pathos, and logos.…

    • 1261 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and…

    • 125 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Peter Singer thinks we are too selfish with our money. In “The Singer Solution to World Poverty”, he proposes a solution to poverty in other countries. Singer believes that money that might otherwise be used for luxury goods should be donated to charities that help save lives in poorer countries. He believes that this decision increase overall happiness more than the purchase of a luxury good, like new shoes, would. While Singer’s argument raises an important moral point, it leads to a very dangerous moral precedent that could leave the problem worse off than before. Singer’s argument should be taken in a limited scope to help determine right action; otherwise, it becomes a radical doctrine.…

    • 1712 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Jon Sobrino and Peter Singer share with readers what it takes to live ethically in a world in which 22,000 children die each day from poverty-related issues. In The Principle of Mercy: Taking the Crucified People from the Cross, Sobrino emphasis that people must no longer turn a naked eye to the problems of the world and they should start living their life according to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In The Life You Can Save, Singer stresses the importance of an increase in monetary donation in attempts to cease poverty in the world. This paper will first address Sobrino’s methods for living an ethical life, according to the gospel. Additionally, it will focus on Singer’s approach to tackling world poverty by his advocacy for greater donation of…

    • 1507 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bill Gates

    • 775 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In his article, ‘What should a Billionaire give?’ writer Peter Singer talked about unequal distribution of wealth between the rich and the poor. He talked about the values of life between rich and poor people. Since all men are created equal, the rich should always help the poor to balance the huge difference of wealth between the two classes. To most wealthy people, it’s always about making more money. Some wealthy people, on the other hand, actually give away a ridiculous sum of money to help people in need. Bill gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, is one of the few billionaires who realized that he had an obligation to give more of his wealth to charity. In 2000, with the help of his wife Melinda Gates, combined several family foundations to form the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (B&MGF). The important goals of the B&MGF are, enhancing healthcare globally, reducing extreme poverty and expanding educational opportunities and access to information technology.…

    • 775 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics