Thinker
Peter Singer
3 key ideas, each explained in our own words.
Peter Singer: Effective Compassion
- IDEA 1
The drowning child
Singer asks: if you would ruin your clothes to save a child drowning nearby, why not give to save distant lives? Distance does not reduce moral duty.
- IDEA 2
Equal consideration of interests
Suffering counts equally whoever experiences it, including animals. This underlies animal welfare arguments.
- IDEA 3
Give effectively
Choose causes where money does the most good, based on evidence. Compassion should be smart as well as sincere.
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