Singer The Singer Solution To World Poverty

Singer's Solution to World Poverty: A Moral Imperative and Practical Analysis

Introduction:

Are you comfortable knowing that you could easily save a life, yet choose not to? This isn't a hypothetical question; it's the core of Peter Singer's groundbreaking argument on our moral obligation to alleviate global poverty. This post delves deep into Singer's provocative "solution," examining its philosophical underpinnings, practical implications, and the ongoing debate it sparked. We'll explore the criticisms leveled against it, offering a nuanced perspective on a topic that continues to challenge our ethical responsibilities in an increasingly interconnected world. Prepare to question your own actions and consider the profound implications of global inequality.

I. Understanding Singer's Argument: A Moral Framework

Peter Singer, a prominent bioethicist, famously argues that affluent individuals have a moral obligation to donate a significant portion of their wealth to effective charities combating global poverty. His argument rests on several key pillars:

The Proximity Principle's Flaw: Singer challenges the traditional notion that geographical proximity dictates our moral responsibility. The fact that a suffering child is thousands of miles away doesn't diminish our obligation to help, especially when we have the means to do so.
The Prevention of Suffering: Singer emphasizes that preventing suffering is morally equivalent to rescuing someone from harm. If we can prevent something bad from happening without sacrificing anything of comparable moral significance, we have a moral obligation to do so.
The Drowning Child Analogy: Singer’s powerful analogy of passing a drowning child and only getting your clothes muddy versus allowing the child to die illustrates the moral weight of inaction. He argues that our reluctance to significantly alter our lifestyles to aid those in need is morally equivalent to letting the child drown.
Effective Altruism: Singer’s arguments are not simply about giving; they are about effective giving. He emphasizes donating to charities that demonstrably alleviate suffering efficiently and with maximum impact, urging a rational and evidence-based approach to philanthropy.


II. The Practical Implications of Singer's Solution

Singer doesn't prescribe a specific percentage of income to donate, but his argument implies a significant contribution is necessary to alleviate suffering effectively. The practical implications are far-reaching:

Lifestyle Changes: Adopting Singer's philosophy often requires considerable lifestyle adjustments. This could mean forgoing luxury items, reducing consumption, and making conscious decisions about spending.
Financial Sacrifice: The level of sacrifice varies depending on individual circumstances and wealth. For some, it could mean donating a significant percentage of their income, while for others, even small, consistent donations contribute to a larger impact.
Impact Measurement: The effective altruism aspect requires careful research to ensure donations are used effectively. Evaluating charities based on their transparency, impact metrics, and cost-effectiveness is crucial.
Systemic Change: Singer acknowledges that individual donations alone cannot solve global poverty. He advocates for systemic changes, including policies that promote fair trade, economic justice, and global cooperation.


III. Criticisms and Counterarguments to Singer's Solution

Singer's argument has faced significant criticism. Key objections include:

The Demandingness Objection: Critics argue that Singer's proposal is overly demanding, placing an unrealistic burden on individuals to sacrifice their own comfort and aspirations for the sake of others. The sheer scale of global poverty, they argue, makes the task insurmountable for any single person.
The Obligation to Others: Some question the extent of our moral obligation to strangers, arguing that our primary responsibilities lie with family and community members. Singer’s model, they contend, neglects these crucial relationships.
The Role of Governments and Corporations: Critics point out that the responsibility for addressing global poverty falls primarily on governments and multinational corporations, not solely on individual citizens. Addressing systemic issues is crucial, rather than solely relying on individual charity.
The "Slippery Slope" Argument: Concerns exist that Singer's philosophy could lead to a “slippery slope,” where individuals are increasingly obligated to sacrifice their well-being for increasingly less significant causes. This raises questions about where the line is drawn between moral responsibility and personal autonomy.


IV. A Balanced Perspective: Beyond the Binary

While Singer's argument is challenging and provocative, it's crucial to consider it within a nuanced context. It shouldn't be viewed as a simple either/or proposition—either you donate everything or you do nothing. Instead, it encourages a more thoughtful and conscious approach to our consumption habits and our engagement with global issues. A balanced perspective involves:

Gradual Commitment: Adopting Singer's philosophy doesn't require an immediate, radical life change. Small, consistent donations and mindful consumption choices can collectively make a significant difference.
Advocacy and Systemic Change: Supporting organizations advocating for policy changes to address the root causes of poverty complements individual donations. This involves advocating for fair trade, debt relief, and increased development aid.
Ethical Consumption: Making informed choices about our consumption habits, supporting ethical businesses, and reducing our ecological footprint contributes to a more sustainable and just world.
Open Dialogue: Engaging in respectful and thoughtful discussions about the moral dimensions of global poverty is vital. Singer's work serves as a valuable starting point for these important conversations.

V. Conclusion: A Call to Action

Singer's solution, while controversial, compels us to confront our own ethical responsibilities in the face of immense global suffering. While the complete eradication of global poverty may seem an impossible task, the power of collective action, fueled by individual responsibility and systemic change, cannot be underestimated. The key is to find a path forward that balances our personal aspirations with our moral obligation to alleviate suffering – a journey that begins with thoughtful self-reflection and a commitment to making a difference, however small.


Book Outline: "Singer's Challenge: Rethinking Our Role in a World of Poverty"

Introduction: Introducing Peter Singer and the central thesis of his ethical framework.
Chapter 1: The Moral Argument: Detailed explanation of Singer's core arguments, including the drowning child analogy and the critique of the proximity principle.
Chapter 2: Practical Implications: Analyzing the lifestyle changes, financial implications, and effective altruism aspects of Singer’s approach.
Chapter 3: Criticisms and Counterarguments: Exploring major criticisms of Singer's work, including the demandingness objection and the role of governments.
Chapter 4: A Balanced Perspective: Offering a nuanced perspective, exploring various approaches to alleviate global poverty and the importance of individual and collective action.
Chapter 5: Moving Forward: Concluding chapter outlining practical steps individuals can take to contribute to poverty alleviation and promoting systemic change.


(Detailed Article Explaining Each Point of the Outline Would Follow Here – Due to word count limitations, this section is omitted. Each chapter heading would be expanded into a detailed article section of approximately 200-300 words each, expanding on the content outlined above.)


FAQs:

1. Is Singer suggesting we give away all our wealth? No, Singer's argument doesn't advocate for complete self-deprivation. He suggests a significant contribution proportionate to one's means.
2. What are some examples of effective charities? Research organizations like GiveWell provide data-driven recommendations for high-impact charities.
3. Isn't poverty a complex issue beyond individual action? Yes, systemic changes are vital, but individual action complements and pushes for systemic change.
4. What if I can barely afford my own needs? Even small, consistent donations can have a cumulative impact.
5. How do I know my donation will be used effectively? Research the charity's transparency and impact reports.
6. Isn't there a risk of exploitation in international aid? Yes, choosing reputable and transparent organizations is crucial.
7. Isn't it the government's responsibility to solve poverty? Both individual and governmental action are necessary for effective change.
8. How can I incorporate Singer's ideas into my daily life? Start with small changes – mindful spending, supporting ethical businesses, and consistent donations.
9. What's the difference between charity and effective altruism? Effective altruism emphasizes evidence-based giving for maximum impact, unlike traditional charity which may lack clear impact measurements.


Related Articles:

1. The Ethics of Affluence: A Deeper Dive into Singer's Philosophy: A detailed analysis of the philosophical underpinnings of Singer's argument.
2. Effective Altruism: A Practical Guide to Giving Back: A step-by-step guide on how to find and support high-impact charities.
3. The Role of Governments in Poverty Alleviation: Examining government policies and their effectiveness in tackling global poverty.
4. Fair Trade and its Impact on Developing Economies: Exploring the role of fair trade in promoting economic justice and poverty reduction.
5. Microfinance and its Potential for Poverty Reduction: Analyzing the impact of microfinance initiatives on economic empowerment in developing countries.
6. The Global Goals for Sustainable Development: An overview of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and their relevance to poverty eradication.
7. Measuring the Impact of Charitable Giving: Discussing methods for evaluating the effectiveness of charitable organizations.
8. The Psychology of Giving: Why We Donate and How to Encourage More Giving: Exploring the psychological factors that influence charitable giving.
9. Addressing Climate Change and its Link to Global Poverty: Examining the interconnectedness of climate change and global poverty, and strategies for addressing both issues.


  singer the singer solution to world poverty: The Life You Can Save Peter Singer, 2010 Argues that for the first time in history we're in a position to end extreme poverty throughout the world, both because of our unprecedented wealth and advances in technology, therefore we can no longer consider ourselves good people unless we give more to the poor. Reprint.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Living High and Letting Die Peter Unger, 1996-06-20 By contributing a few hundred dollars to a charity like UNICEF, a prosperous person can ensure that fewer poor children die, and that more will live reasonably long, worthwhile lives. Even when knowing this, however, most people send nothing, and almost all of the rest send little. What is the moral status of this behavior? To such common cases of letting die, our untutored response is that, while it is not very good, neither is the conduct wrong. What is the source of this lenient assessment? In this contentious new book, one of our leading philosophers argues that our intuitions about ethical cases are generated not by basic moral values, but by certain distracting psychological dispositions that all too often prevent us from reacting in accord with our commitments. Through a detailed look at how these tendencies operate, Unger shows that, on the good morality that we already accept, the fatally unhelpful behavior is monstrously wrong. By uncovering the eminently sensible ethics that we've already embraced fully, and by confronting us with empirical facts and with easily followed instructions for lessening serious suffering appropriately and effectively, Unger's book points the way to a compassionate new moral philosophy.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Peter Singer Under Fire Jeffrey A. Schaler, 2011-09-30 One of the leading ethical thinkers of the modern age, Peter Singer has repeatedly been embroiled in controversy. Protesters in Germany closed down his lectures, mistakenly thinking he was advocating Nazi views on eugenics. Conservative publisher Steve Forbes withdrew generous donations to Princeton after Singer was appointed professor of bioethics. His belief that infanticide is sometimes morally justified has appalled people from all walks of life. Peter Singer Under Fire gives a platform to his critics on many contentious issues. Leaders of the disability rights group Not Dead Yet attack Singer’s views on disability and euthanasia. Economists criticize the effectiveness of his ideas for solving global poverty. Philosophers expose problems in Singer’s theory of utilitarianism and ethicists refute his position on abortion. Singer’s engaging “Intellectual Autobiography” explains how he came by his controversial views, while detailed replies to each critic reveal further surprising aspects of his unique outlook.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: 10th Anniversary Edition The Life You Can Save Peter Singer, 2019-12-01 In this Tenth Anniversary Edition of The Life You Can Save, Peter Singer brings his landmark book up to date. In addition to restating his compelling arguments about how we should respond to extreme poverty, he examines the progress we are making and recounts how the first edition transformed the lives both of readers and the people they helped. Learn how you can be part of the solution, doing good for others while adding fulfillment to your own life.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Famine, Affluence, and Morality Peter Singer, 2016 As Bill and Melinda Gates point out in their Foreword, Singer's classic essay Famine, Affluence and Morality, is as relevant today as it ever was. It is published here together with two of Singer's more popular writings on our obligations to those in poverty, and a new introduction by Singer that brings the reader up to date with his current thinking.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Politics as Usual Thomas W. Pogge, 2013-04-24 Worldwide, human lives are rapidly improving. Education, health-care, technology, and political participation are becoming ever more universal, empowering human beings everywhere to enjoy security, economic sufficiency, equal citizenship, and a life in dignity. To be sure, there are some specially difficult areas disfavoured by climate, geography, local diseases, unenlightened cultures or political tyranny. Here progress is slow, and there may be set-backs. But the affluent states and many international organizations are working steadily to extend the blessings of modernity through trade and generous development assistance, and it won't be long until the last pockets of severe oppression and poverty are gone. Heavily promoted by Western governments and media, this comforting view of the world is widely shared, at least among the affluent. Pogge's new book presents an alternative view: Poverty and oppression persist on a massive scale; political and economic inequalities are rising dramatically both intra-nationally and globally. The affluent states and the international organizations they control knowingly contribute greatly to these evils - selfishly promoting rules and policies harmful to the poor while hypocritically pretending to set and promote ambitious development goals. Pogge's case studies include the $1/day poverty measurement exercise, the cosmetic statistics behind the first Millennium Development Goal, the War on Terror, and the proposed relaxation of the constraints on humanitarian intervention. A powerful moral analysis that shows what Western states would do if they really cared about the values they profess.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: One World Peter Singer, 2002-01-01 Written by a religious historian, this is an introduction to early Christian thought. Focusing on major figures such as St Augustine and Gregory of Nyssa, as well as a host of less well-known thinkers, Robert Wilken chronicles the emergence of a specifically Christian intellectual tradition. In chapters on topics including early Christian worship, Christian poetry and the spiritual life, the Trinity, Christ, the Bible, and icons, Wilken shows that the energy and vitality of early Christianity arose from within the life of the Church. While early Christian thinkers drew on the philosophical and rhetorical traditions of the ancient world, it was the versatile vocabulary of the Bible that loosened their tongues and minds and allowed them to construct the world anew, intellectually and spiritually. These thinkers were not seeking to invent a world of ideas, Wilken shows, but rather to win the hearts of men and women and to change their lives. Early Christian thinkers set in place a foundation that has endured. Their writings are an irreplaceable inheritance, and Wilken shows that they can still be heard as living voices within contemporary culture.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: The American Way of Poverty Sasha Abramsky, 2013-09-10 Selected as A Notable Book of the Year by The New York Times Book Review Fifty years after Michael Harrington published his groundbreaking book The Other America, in which he chronicled the lives of people excluded from the Age of Affluence, poverty in America is back with a vengeance. It is made up of both the long-term chronically poor and new working poor -- the tens of millions of victims of a broken economy and an ever more dysfunctional political system. In many ways, for the majority of Americans, financial insecurity has become the new norm. The American Way of Poverty shines a light on this travesty. Sasha Abramsky brings the effects of economic inequality out of the shadows and, ultimately, suggests ways for moving toward a fairer and more equitable social contract. Exploring everything from housing policy to wage protections and affordable higher education, Abramsky lays out a panoramic blueprint for a reinvigorated political process that, in turn, will pave the way for a renewed War on Poverty. It is, Harrington believed, a moral outrage that in a country as wealthy as America, so many people could be so poor. Written in the wake of the 2008 financial collapse, in an era of grotesque economic extremes, The American Way of Poverty brings that same powerful indignation to the topic.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Ethics into Action Peter Singer, 2019-05-17 More than twenty years after its publication, Peter Singer's Ethics into Action continues to inspire new generations of activists through its portrayal of Henry Spira and the animal rights movement. With a new preface from the author, this edition celebrates the continued importance of social movements and provides a path towards furthering changes in our world. Singer, one of the world's most influential living philosophers, reveals how Henry Spira influenced major corporations by simultaneously applying targeted pressures and removing existing obstacles to achieve his ethical goals. As people all over the world continues to struggle for justice, Spira's method of effecting change serves as a proven model for activists fighting across a wide range of causes.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Practical Ethics Peter Singer, 2011-02-21 For thirty years, Peter Singer's Practical Ethics has been the classic introduction to applied ethics. For this third edition, the author has revised and updated all the chapters and added a new chapter addressing climate change, one of the most important ethical challenges of our generation. Some of the questions discussed in this book concern our daily lives. Is it ethical to buy luxuries when others do not have enough to eat? Should we buy meat from intensively reared animals? Am I doing something wrong if my carbon footprint is above the global average? Other questions confront us as concerned citizens: equality and discrimination on the grounds of race or sex; abortion, the use of embryos for research and euthanasia; political violence and terrorism; and the preservation of our planet's environment. This book's lucid style and provocative arguments make it an ideal text for university courses and for anyone willing to think about how she or he ought to live.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Ethics in the Real World Peter Singer, 2017-09-05 Provocative essays on real-world ethical questions from the world's most influential philosopher Peter Singer is often described as the world's most influential philosopher. He is also one of its most controversial. The author of important books such as Animal Liberation, Practical Ethics, Rethinking Life and Death, and The Life You Can Save, he helped launch the animal rights and effective altruism movements and contributed to the development of bioethics. Now, in Ethics in the Real World, Singer shows that he is also a master at dissecting important current events in a few hundred words. In this book of brief essays, he applies his controversial ways of thinking to issues like climate change, extreme poverty, animals, abortion, euthanasia, human genetic selection, sports doping, the sale of kidneys, the ethics of high-priced art, and ways of increasing happiness. Singer asks whether chimpanzees are people, smoking should be outlawed, or consensual sex between adult siblings should be decriminalized, and he reiterates his case against the idea that all human life is sacred, applying his arguments to some recent cases in the news. In addition, he explores, in an easily accessible form, some of the deepest philosophical questions, such as whether anything really matters and what is the value of the pale blue dot that is our planet. The collection also includes some more personal reflections, like Singer’s thoughts on one of his favorite activities, surfing, and an unusual suggestion for starting a family conversation over a holiday feast. Now with a new afterword by the author, this provocative and original book will challenge—and possibly change—your beliefs about many real-world ethical questions.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Writings on an Ethical Life Peter Singer, 2015-04-14 The essential collection of writings by one of the most visionary and daring philosophers of our time Since bursting sensationally into the public consciousness in 1975 with his groundbreaking work Animal Liberation, Peter Singer has remained one of the most provocative ethicists of the modern age. His reputation, built largely on isolated incendiary quotations and outrage-of-the-moment news coverage, has preceded him ever since. Aiming to present a more accurate and thoughtful picture of Singer’s pioneering work, Writings on an Ethical Life features twenty-seven excerpts from some of his most lauded and controversial essays and books. The reflections on life, death, murder, vegetarianism, poverty, and ethical living found in these pages come together in a must-read collection for anyone seeking a better understanding of the issues that shape our world today. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Peter Singer, including rare photos from the author’s personal collection.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Globalizing Justice Richard W. Miller, 2010-03-18 Governments, firms and people in developed countries, above all, the United States, by failing to live up to these responsibilities, take advantage of people in developing countries.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Rastafari Ennis Barrington Edmonds, 2003 Traces the history of the Rastafarian movement, discussing the impact it has had on Jamaican society, its successful expansion to North America, the British Isles, and Africa, its role as a dominant cultural force in the world, and other related topics.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: The Life You Can Save Peter Singer, 2010-02-01 Most of us are absolutely certain that we wouldn’t hesitate to save a drowning child, and that we would do it at considerable cost to ourselves. Yet while thousands of children die each day, we spend money on things we take for granted, and would hardly miss if they were not there. Is that wrong? If so, how far does our obligation to the poor go? According to the World Bank 1.4 billion people live on less than US$1.25 per day. This entails a vast amount of suffering and avoidable loss of life. The Life You Can Save offers a solution to world poverty. With his trademark clarity, logic and intellectual flair Peter Singer shows us not only that this solution is possible, but also that we have a moral obligation to be part of it.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: The Point of View of the Universe Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek, Peter Singer, 2014 Tests the views and metaphor of 19th-century utilitarian philosopher Henry Sidgwick against a variety of contemporary views on ethics, determining that they are defensible and thus providing a defense of objectivism in ethics and of hedonistic utilitarianism.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: World Poverty and Human Rights Thomas W. Pogge, 2023-02-10 Some 2.5 billion human beings live in severe poverty, deprived of such essentials as adequate nutrition, safe drinking water, basic sanitation, adequate shelter, literacy, and basic health care. One third of all human deaths are from poverty-related causes: 18 million annually, including over 10 million children under five. However huge in human terms, the world poverty problem is tiny economically. Just 1 percent of the national incomes of the high-income countries would suffice to end severe poverty worldwide. Yet, these countries, unwilling to bear an opportunity cost of this magnitude, continue to impose a grievously unjust global institutional order that foreseeably and avoidably perpetuates the catastrophe. Most citizens of affluent countries believe that we are doing nothing wrong. Thomas Pogge seeks to explain how this belief is sustained. He analyses how our moral and economic theorizing and our global economic order have adapted to make us appear disconnected from massive poverty abroad. Dispelling the illusion, he also offers a modest, widely sharable standard of global economic justice and makes detailed, realistic proposals toward fulfilling it. Thoroughly updated, the second edition of this classic book incorporates responses to critics and a new chapter introducing Pogge's current work on pharmaceutical patent reform.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Animal Liberation Peter Singer, 2015-10-01 How should we treat non-human animals? In this immensely powerful and influential book (now with a new introduction by Sapiens author Yuval Noah Harari), the renowned moral philosopher Peter Singer addresses this simple question with trenchant, dispassionate reasoning. Accompanied by the disturbing evidence of factory farms and laboratories, his answers triggered the birth of the animal rights movement. 'An extraordinary book which has had extraordinary effects... Widely known as the bible of the animal liberation movement' Independent on Sunday In the decades since this landmark classic first appeared, some public attitudes to animals may have changed but our continued abuse of animals in factory farms and as tools for research shows that the underlying ideas Singer exposes as ethically indefensible are still dominating the way we treat animals. As Yuval Harari’s brilliantly argued introduction makes clear, this book is as relevant now as the day it was written.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Evolutionary Philosophy Ed Gibney, 2012-04-24 Evolutionary Philosophy is the foundation text for a new belief system. We are all products of evolution. Understanding all of the implications of this statement leads to a comprehensive worldview that can answer our universally shared questions: Where did I come from? What am I? What is a good life? How do I know? These questions and many more are answered in this book, before the beliefs of 60 of the top philosophers of history are put to the test in an evaluation of the survival of their fittest ideas. This is an audacious work of research and analysis from author Ed Gibney, who finishes by asking readers to help Evolutionary Philosophy to grow and adapt as mankind's knowledge continues to accumulate. This clear and accessible work promises to help you reevaluate mankind's place in the universe and your place in society.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Building Social Business Muhammad Yunus, 2010-05-11 The Nobel Peace Prize winner and bestselling author shows how entrepreneurial spirit and business smarts can be harnessed to create sustainable businesses that can solve the world's biggest problems. Muhammad Yunus, the practical visionary who pioneered microcredit and, with his Grameen Bank, won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, has developed a new dimension for capitalism which he calls social business. The social business model has been adopted by corporations, entrepreneurs, and social activists across the globe. Its goal is to create self-supporting, viable commercial enterprises that generate economic growth as they produce goods and services to fulfill human needs. In Building Social Business, Yunus shows how social business can be put into practice and explains why it holds the potential to redeem the failed promise of free-market enterprise.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Marx Peter Singer, 2018 Marx is one of the most influential philosophers of all time, whose theories about society, economics, and politics have shaped and directed political and social thought for 150 years. In this new edition, Peter Singer discusses the legacy and impact of Marx's core theories, considering how they apply to twenty first century politics and society.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: The Idealist Nina Munk, 2013-09-10 NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Bloomberg • Forbes • The Spectator Recipient of Foreign Policy's 2013 Albie Award A powerful portrayal of Jeffrey Sachs's ambitious quest to end global poverty The poor you will always have with you, to cite the Gospel of Matthew 26:11. Jeffrey Sachs—celebrated economist, special advisor to the Secretary General of the United Nations, and author of the influential bestseller The End of Poverty—disagrees. In his view, poverty is a problem that can be solved. With single-minded determination he has attempted to put into practice his theories about ending extreme poverty, to prove that the world's most destitute people can be lifted onto the ladder of development. In 2006, Sachs launched the Millennium Villages Project, a daring five-year experiment designed to test his theories in Africa. The first Millennium village was in Sauri, a remote cluster of farming communities in western Kenya. The initial results were encouraging. With his first taste of success, and backed by one hundred twenty million dollars from George Soros and other likeminded donors, Sachs rolled out a dozen model villages in ten sub-Saharan countries. Once his approach was validated it would be scaled up across the entire continent. At least that was the idea. For the past six years, Nina Munk has reported deeply on the Millennium Villages Project, accompanying Sachs on his official trips to Africa and listening in on conversations with heads-of-state, humanitarian organizations, rival economists, and development experts. She has immersed herself in the lives of people in two Millennium villages: Ruhiira, in southwest Uganda, and Dertu, in the arid borderland between Kenya and Somalia. Accepting the hospitality of camel herders and small-hold farmers, and witnessing their struggle to survive, Munk came to understand the real-life issues that challenge Sachs's formula for ending global poverty. THE IDEALIST is the profound and moving story of what happens when the abstract theories of a brilliant, driven man meet the reality of human life.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: The Global Findex Database 2017 Asli Demirguc-Kunt, Leora Klapper, Dorothe Singer, Saniya Ansar, 2018-04-19 In 2011 the World Bank—with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—launched the Global Findex database, the world's most comprehensive data set on how adults save, borrow, make payments, and manage risk. Drawing on survey data collected in collaboration with Gallup, Inc., the Global Findex database covers more than 140 economies around the world. The initial survey round was followed by a second one in 2014 and by a third in 2017. Compiled using nationally representative surveys of more than 150,000 adults age 15 and above in over 140 economies, The Global Findex Database 2017: Measuring Financial Inclusion and the Fintech Revolution includes updated indicators on access to and use of formal and informal financial services. It has additional data on the use of financial technology (or fintech), including the use of mobile phones and the Internet to conduct financial transactions. The data reveal opportunities to expand access to financial services among people who do not have an account—the unbanked—as well as to promote greater use of digital financial services among those who do have an account. The Global Findex database has become a mainstay of global efforts to promote financial inclusion. In addition to being widely cited by scholars and development practitioners, Global Findex data are used to track progress toward the World Bank goal of Universal Financial Access by 2020 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The database, the full text of the report, and the underlying country-level data for all figures—along with the questionnaire, the survey methodology, and other relevant materials—are available at www.worldbank.org/globalfindex.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Philanthrocapitalism Matthew Bishop, Michael Green, 2010-06-01 For philanthropists of the past, charity was often a matter of simply giving money away. For the philanthrocapitalists-the new generation of billionaires who are reshaping the way they give-it's like business. Largely trained in the corporate world, these social investors are using big-business-style strategies and expecting results and accountability to match. Bill Gates, the world's richest man, is leading the way: he has promised his entire fortune to finding a cure for the diseases that kill millions of children in the poorest countries in the world. In Philanthrocapitalism, Matthew Bishop and Michael Green examine this new movement and its implications. Proceeding from interviews with some of the most powerful people on the planet-including Gates, Bill Clinton, Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, and Bono, among others-they show how a web of wealthy, motivated donors has set out to change the world.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Why Vegan? Peter Singer, 2020-09-24 'So the only question is: do animals other than man suffer?' One of the great moral philosophers of the modern age, Peter Singer asks unflinching questions about how we should live our lives. The ideas collected in these writings, arguing that human tyranny over animals is a wrong comparable to racism and sexism, triggered the animal rights movement and gave impetus to the rise in vegan eating. One of twenty new books in the bestselling Penguin Great Ideas series. This new selection showcases a diverse list of thinkers who have helped shape our world today, from anarchists to stoics, feminists to prophets, satirists to Zen Buddhists.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: The Prosperity Paradox Clayton M. Christensen, Efosa Ojomo, Karen Dillon, 2019-01-15 New York Times–bestselling Author: “Powerful . . . a compelling case for the game-changing role of innovation in some of the world’s most desperate economies.” —Eric Schmidt, former Executive Chairman, Google and Alphabet Clayton M. Christensen, author of such business classics as The Innovator’s Dilemma and How Will You Measure Your Life, and co-authors Efosa Ojomo and Karen Dillon reveal why so many investments in economic development fail to generate sustainable prosperity, and offer a groundbreaking solution for true and lasting change. Global poverty is one of the world’s most vexing problems. For decades, we’ve assumed smart, well-intentioned people will eventually be able to change the economic trajectory of poor countries. From education to healthcare, building infrastructure to eradicating corruption, too many solutions rely on trial and error. Essentially, the plan is often to identify areas that need help, flood them with resources, and hope to see change over time. But hope is not an effective strategy. At least twenty countries that have received billions of dollars’ worth of aid are poorer now. Applying the rigorous and theory-driven analysis he is known for, Christensen suggests a better way. The right kind of innovation not only builds companies—but also builds countries. The Prosperity Paradox identifies the limits of common economic development models, which tend to be top-down efforts, and offers a new framework for economic growth based on entrepreneurship and market-creating innovation. Christensen, Ojomo, and Dillon use successful examples from America’s own economic development, including Ford, Eastman Kodak, and Singer Sewing Machines, and shows how similar models have worked in other regions such as Japan, South Korea, Nigeria, Rwanda, India, Argentina, and Mexico. The ideas in this book will help companies desperate for real, long-term growth see actual, sustainable progress where they’ve failed before. But The Prosperity Paradox is more than a business book—it is a call to action for anyone who wants a fresh take for making the world a better and more prosperous place.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: College Ethics Bob Fischer, 2020-09 Ideal for introductory ethics or contemporary moral issues courses, College Ethics: A Reader on Moral Issues That Affect You, Second Edition, is a collection of brief, engaging, and accessible readings on issues that directly affect--and matter to--today's college students.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: The Semantics/pragmatics Interface from Different Points of View Ken P. Turner, 1999 Hardbound. This volume examines explicitly the question of how the semantics and pragmatics of a number of expressions might be responsibly discussed. In the past, the temptation has been for the expressions in question to be discussed either in terms of the semantics, or in terms of the pragmatics, but extremely rarely in terms of both. This book shows how revealing analyses for this interface can be provided for the expressions in question.In specially commissioned chapters from leading authors, the points of view represented include linguistics, logic, computational linguistics, and philosophy.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Being Good in a World of Need Larry S. Temkin, 2022-01-27 Ours is a rich world filled with misery. This gives rise to a pressing question: how should the well-off respond to the needy? Peter Singer famously argued that just as we have an obligation to save a drowning child, we have an obligation to support charities like Oxfam. Inspired by Singer, Effective Altruism holds that we ought to support those charities doing the most good. Being Good in a World of Need powerfully challenges these views. Drawing on many sources, Temkin illustrates many disanalogies between saving a drowning child and supporting international charities, involving: intervening agents; effects of one's actions; corruption; responsibility; accidents versus injustice; and aid beneficiaries. These disanalogies raise complex issues requiring a pluralistic approach, rather than Effective Altruism's monistic, do the most good approach. Being Good discusses: ways aid may reward corrupt leaders and incentivize disastrous policies; charities ignoring or covering up negative impacts; the ethical disaster of aid efforts in Goma; brain and character drains; difficulties in replicability or scaling up model aid projects; ethical imperialism, paternalism, autonomy, and respect; Angus Deaton's contention that aid undermines government responsiveness; Jeffrey Sachs and the Millennium Villages Project; conflicts between individual and collective morality; fairness and responsibility; focusing on badly off people rather than countries; humanitarian versus development aid; and ways of aiding other than on-the-ground charities--
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Humanitarianism in the Modern World Norbert Götz, Georgina Brewis, Steffen Werther, 2020-07-23 A fresh look at two centuries of humanitarian history through a moral economy approach focusing on appeals, allocation, and accounting.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: A Little Life Hanya Yanagihara, 2016-01-26 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A stunning “portrait of the enduring grace of friendship” (NPR) about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. A masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century. NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • MAN BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST • WINNER OF THE KIRKUS PRIZE A Little Life follows four college classmates—broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition—as they move to New York in search of fame and fortune. While their relationships, which are tinged by addiction, success, and pride, deepen over the decades, the men are held together by their devotion to the brilliant, enigmatic Jude, a man scarred by an unspeakable childhood trauma. A hymn to brotherly bonds and a masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century, Hanya Yanagihara’s stunning novel is about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. Look for Hanya Yanagihara’s latest bestselling novel, To Paradise.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Giving Well Patricia Illingworth, Thomas Pogge, Leif Wenar, 2011-01-14 So long as large segments of humanity are suffering chronic poverty and are dying from treatable diseases, organized giving can save or enhance millions of lives. With the law providing little guidance, ethics has a crucial role to play in ensuring that the philanthropic practices of individuals, foundations, NGOs, governments, and international agencies are morally sound and effective. In Giving Well: The Ethics of Philanthropy, an accomplished trio of editors bring together an international group of distinguished philosophers, social scientists, lawyers and practitioners to identify and address the most urgent moral questions arising today in the practice of philanthropy. The topics discussed include the psychology of giving, the reasons for and against a duty to give, the accountability of NGOs and foundations, the questionable marketing practices of some NGOs, the moral priorities that should inform NGO decisions about how to target and design their projects, the good and bad effects of aid, and the charitable tax deduction along with the water's edge policy now limiting its reach. This ground-breaking volume can help bring our practice of charity closer to meeting the vital needs of the millions worldwide who depend on voluntary contributions for their very lives.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Monitoring Global Poverty World Bank, 2016-11-28 In 2013, the World Bank Group announced two goals that would guide its operations worldwide. First is the eradication of chronic extreme poverty bringing the number of extremely poor people, defined as those living on less than 1.25 purchasing power parity (PPP)†“adjusted dollars a day, to less than 3 percent of the world’s population by 2030.The second is the boosting of shared prosperity, defined as promoting the growth of per capita real income of the poorest 40 percent of the population in each country. In 2015, United Nations member nations agreed in New York to a set of post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the first and foremost of which is the eradication of extreme poverty everywhere, in all its forms. Both the language and the spirit of the SDG objective reflect the growing acceptance of the idea that poverty is a multidimensional concept that reflects multiple deprivations in various aspects of well-being. That said, there is much less agreement on the best ways in which those deprivations should be measured, and on whether or how information on them should be aggregated. Monitoring Global Poverty: Report of the Commission on Global Poverty advises the World Bank on the measurement and monitoring of global poverty in two areas: What should be the interpretation of the definition of extreme poverty, set in 2015 in PPP-adjusted dollars a day per person? What choices should the Bank make regarding complementary monetary and nonmonetary poverty measures to be tracked and made available to policy makers? The World Bank plays an important role in shaping the global debate on combating poverty, and the indicators and data that the Bank collates and makes available shape opinion and actual policies in client countries, and, to a certain extent, in all countries. How we answer the above questions can therefore have a major influence on the global economy.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Communities in Action National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Health and Medicine Division, Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice, Committee on Community-Based Solutions to Promote Health Equity in the United States, 2017-04-27 In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: The Expanding Circle Peter Singer, 1983
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Red Meat Republic Joshua Specht, 2020-10-06 By the late nineteenth century, Americans rich and poor had come to expect high-quality fresh beef with almost every meal. Beef production in the United States had gone from small-scale, localized operations to a highly centralized industry spanning the country, with cattle bred on ranches in the rural West, slaughtered in Chicago, and consumed in the nation's rapidly growing cities. Red Meat Republic tells the remarkable story of the violent conflict over who would reap the benefits of this new industry and who would bear its heavy costs--
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Feminist City Leslie Kern, 2020-07-07 Feminist City is an ongoing experiment in living differently, living better, and living more justly in an urban world. We live in the city of men. Our public spaces are not designed for female bodies. There is little consideration for women as mothers, workers or carers. The urban streets often are a place of threats rather than community. Gentrification has made the everyday lives of women even more difficult. What would a metropolis for working women look like? A city of friendships beyond Sex and the City. A transit system that accommodates mothers with strollers on the school run. A public space with enough toilets. A place where women can walk without harassment. In Feminist City, through history, personal experience and popular culture Leslie Kern exposes what is hidden in plain sight: the social inequalities built into our cities, homes, and neighborhoods. Kern offers an alternative vision of the feminist city. Taking on fear, motherhood, friendship, activism, and the joys and perils of being alone, Kern maps the city from new vantage points, laying out an intersectional feminist approach to urban histories and proposes that the city is perhaps also our best hope for shaping a new urban future. It is time to dismantle what we take for granted about cities and to ask how we can build more just, sustainable, and women-friendly cities together.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: Global Poverty, Injustice, and Resistance Gwilym David Blunt, 2020 Argues that the poor have the right to resist causes of poverty, examining illegal immigration, social movements, and political violence.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: The Tyranny of Merit Michael J. Sandel, 2020-09-15 A Times Literary Supplement’s Book of the Year 2020 A New Statesman's Best Book of 2020 A Bloomberg's Best Book of 2020 A Guardian Best Book About Ideas of 2020 The world-renowned philosopher and author of the bestselling Justice explores the central question of our time: What has become of the common good? These are dangerous times for democracy. We live in an age of winners and losers, where the odds are stacked in favor of the already fortunate. Stalled social mobility and entrenched inequality give the lie to the American credo that you can make it if you try. The consequence is a brew of anger and frustration that has fueled populist protest and extreme polarization, and led to deep distrust of both government and our fellow citizens--leaving us morally unprepared to face the profound challenges of our time. World-renowned philosopher Michael J. Sandel argues that to overcome the crises that are upending our world, we must rethink the attitudes toward success and failure that have accompanied globalization and rising inequality. Sandel shows the hubris a meritocracy generates among the winners and the harsh judgement it imposes on those left behind, and traces the dire consequences across a wide swath of American life. He offers an alternative way of thinking about success--more attentive to the role of luck in human affairs, more conducive to an ethic of humility and solidarity, and more affirming of the dignity of work. The Tyranny of Merit points us toward a hopeful vision of a new politics of the common good.
  singer the singer solution to world poverty: World Hunger and Moral Obligation William Aiken, Hugh LaFollette, 1977 Lifeboat ethics : the case against helping the poor / Garrett Hardin -- Famine, affluence, and morality / Peter Singer -- Rights and the duty to bring aid / John Arthur -- Morality and starvation / Jan Narveson -- Moral philosophy and world hunger / William K. Frankena -- The right to be saved from starvation / William Aiken -- Give if it helps but not if it hurts / Joseph Fletcher -- Reason and morality in a world of limited food / Richard A. Watson -- The morality of wealth / Michael A. Slote -- Lifeboat earth / Onora O'Neill -- Productive justice / Howard Richards -- Vegetarianism and The other weight problem / James Rachels.