The Ethics of Charity
Is Charity obligatory? What do we rely on to make these aguments? Moral intuitions on more fundamental issues? Are they reliable?
Overview
Yes: Obligatory!
Peter Singer: "Famine, Affluence, and Morality" (1972)
P1) If it is in our powers to prevent something very bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of moral significance, then we must, morally, do it.
For instance, If there is a drwoning child in front of us, we must save him even if we'd sacrifice some other things, like an expensive suit.
P2) Hunger, disease, and other sources of suffering, disability, and death are very bad
C1) If it is in our powers to prevent hunger, disease, and other sources of suffering, disability, and death from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of moral significance, then we must, morally, do it.
P3) The luxuries, on which we spend money, and therefore hurt our powers to prevent very bad things from happening, are not of moral significance
C2) If it is in our power to prevent hunger, disease, and other sources of suffering, disability, and death from happening, even by sacrificing luxuries like buying, instead of making, coffee, eating out at restaurants, buying new clothes, then we must, morally, do it.
P4) By donating money to relief agencies like Oxfam, it is in our power, that is, we could, prevent hunger, disease, and other sources of suffering, disability, and death.
C) It is wrong if we don’t give up our luxuries (e.g. buying, instead of making, coffee, eating out at restaurants, buying new clothes) and donate.