“Famine, Affluence, and Morality” is an article written in 1971 by Peter Singer, a Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. In this article, Singer wrote about the lack of effort put forth by society to keep people in developing countries from starving, using the poverty crisis in East Bengal in 1971 as an example. Singer also writes about the moral obligation that society has to prevent and/or alleviate situations such as the East Bengal crisis. Throughout the article, Singer points out that the manner in which the affluent members in society is currently acting is unacceptable and unjustifiable, given the great needs that those in East Bengal had at the time. When Singer wrote the article in 1971, East Bengal was in a state of chaos and subsistence due to constant poverty, natural disaster, and civil war. Singer points out that even countries such as Great Britain and Australia, who had given more money than most other countries to East Bengal, still spent immensely more on projects that seemed of little importance when compared to the number of people dying halfway across the world. This brings him to the main point of the article, which is this: a person should do everything in his or her power to prevent bad things from happening, as long as they are not sacrificing something of comparable moral importance. He makes clear the fact that most of society does not share this same philosophy, or if they do they are surely not adhering to it. Singer than goes on to refute a couple reasons why people may disagree with his stance on the issue. The first counterpoint he brings up is the issue of proximity and distance. Should we do everything in our power to help others, even if they live on the other side of the world? Singer’s answer is a resounding yes. Although being in close proximity to a person may make us more likely to help them, it does not imply that we ought to help them over a person who lives 1,000 miles from us. If we as a society are to treat people with impartiality and equality, Singer says, this argument really holds no weight. In addition, the present age of globalization allows virtually instantaneous communication with people in all parts of the world, as well as ease of travel to get there. Today we are able to be a thousand miles away from a village one day, and standing in it the next. He then addresses the argument that an individual in society is just like millions of others, in regards to the East Bengal issue. Because of this, many argue that our need to help people is not as strong as if we were the only person available to help. Singer refutes this by comparing the East Bengal situation to a child drowning in a lake with many people standing around. The fact that a crowd of people is present does not make an individual any less obliged to help the drowning child than if they were the only person there. After refuting these two arguments, Singer wrestles a bit with the idea of supererogatory acts, or acts that are good to do but not wrong to not do. He argues that in most people’s eyes, refusing to do supererogatory acts is
6:20pm-9:00pm Brandon Rudroff Argument Analysis Essay 2 PHIL 310 Course Outcomes Assessed 2. Relate the importance of basic logical concepts such as validity, soundness and consistency to reasoning practice. 3. Apply analytical and thinking skills through syllogistic, symbolic and informal logic scenarios. 5. Translate, formalize and evaluate simple arguments in categorical and propositional form. 6. Combine theory and practice to communicate logical arguments orally and in written form. 7…
Respect: Reasons why it is not overrated LaQuisha Morgan Full Sail University Respect is not overrated The benefits of respect can be plentiful in everyday life, in the workplace, in the home, in schools, and in politics. (Why respect is overrated) is the title of an article written by Donna Hicks. Donna Hicks, Ph.D., is an associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. The article http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/02/15/why-respect-is-overrated/ was…
Natasha Klein Dr. Gamble Phil110801 October 12, 2014 Argument Analysis Mod. 7 1.) The following paragraphs contain the fallacy I am analyzing: “And her bill, like much anti-G.M.O. action, was inspired by distrust of the seed-producing biotechnology companies, which had backed a state measure to prevent local governments from regulating their activity.” “The companies had no corporate presence here on the Big Island, which lacks the large parcels of land they preferred. Still, Ms. Wille…
Alyssa Washington Ms. Abraham Argument Analysis 6 Dec. 2012 Breastfeeding Controversy: Why do Some Women Choose Not to Breastfeed? It’s no secret that a women’s breast are perceived by our society as sexual objects, but that is not what breast were intended to do, at least not all of the time. When a women gets pregnant her breast react to create nourishment for the infant growing inside of her. Once the mother has given birth to the infant a substance called colostrum is released from the breast…
Sci E142W Analysis of the Arguments against Intelligent Design Ayala argues that intelligent design is not a scientific theory. His first premise deals with the fact that scientific theories must be falsifiable, and his second premise deals with the false dichotomy of evolution and intelligent design. While his arguments are logically valid, an objection that could be made about his argument is his definition of intelligent design. One of the premises of Ayala’s argument is that for a…
William Jensen Professor Cavender RWS 280 section 19 February 11, 2013 Word count: 1775 Politics, Food, and corn: A recipe for change? Americans today are no strangers to stretching every dollar earned in an attempt to live the American dream. Most people work long hours and eat on the fly with very little thought to what, or where, the food they have purchased came from. The reason food is so inexpensive has not been a concern to the average American, but the article written by…
Social Network Is social networking a bad thing? Going back in time to about forty years ago, there was no such thing as social networking. Technology has become a major part of society. It has also impacted the youth of this generation. Now social networking is a part of most teenagers’ life, which most times lead into an addiction. My article is titled, Study Finds Teenagers’ Internet Socializing Isn’t Such a Bad Thing by Tamar Lewin (676). Although it captivates its reader’s attention with…
contents. 4. Summarize the student’s argument? Is it logical? (Criterion E) The argument agrees that the book presents a strong male influence but asserts that there are many underlying instances where the feminine role is prominent and it would be foolish to dismiss such occurrences 5. How did the student reveal a deep understanding of the topic? (Criterion G) They demonstrated understanding through the presentation of relevant information and a deep analysis of the topic. 6. Approximately…
2012: Generally: In better responses, candidates stated a clear conceptual thesis in their introduction, and continued to develop and sustain that thesis with detailed and judiciously selected textual analysis and evaluation. In these responses, candidates showed evidence of extensive research into the historical periods and ways of thinking, which helped communicate a deep understanding of the historical periods and how composers provided diverse perspectives on those times and paradigms…