PHILOS 2YY3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Supererogation, Givewell, Mosquito Net
8 Apr 2015
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His theory is extremely demanding - it will require our making lots of sacrifices. His principle is that suffering and death from lack of food, shelter, and medical care are bad. His second principle is that if it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought, morally, to do it. Therefore, we ought, morally, to help those in need. Singer says that it is a moral obligation to help people in need - it"s required, not just suggested. He says that the charitable man may be praised, but the man who is not charitable is not condemned. Buying nice new things is seen as morally permissible and he says that donating is just seen is supererogatory but it should be seen as obligatory. We can"t discriminate people because of distance. There is no sole basis for discrimination solely based on geographical grounds.
