Peter Singer Philosophy "Famine, Affluence, and Morality" | Exam Questions & Answers (100% Correct)

Peter Singer Philosophy "Famine, Affluence, and Morality" | Exam Questions & Answers (100% Correct) Peter Singer Philosophy "Famine, Affluence, and Morality" | Exam Questions & Answers (100% Correct) Summary - ANSWER - Singer claims that... We are morally obligated to sacrifice many of our present luxuries to prevent others from starving... for if we can prevent something bad without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral worth... we ought to do so. Singer's Key Claim - ANSWER - You are obligated to prevent something bad from happening if you can do so without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance. i.e. you are morally obligated to save a child from drowning if you can do so without inconvenience. Obligatory - ANSWER - -quality of an act that it would be wrong not to do -applies to duties -i.e. giving money away to help famine victims Supererogatory - ANSWER - -quality of an act that it would be good to do... but not wrong not to do -synonymous with "charitable" -despite what philosophers and theologians have said, giving money to relief organizations (instead of spending it on clothes we don't need for warmth) is NOT a supererogatory act, according to Singer Thomas Aquinas - ANSWER - medieval monk and philosopher. Cited by Singer as sharing his view that: Whatever material wealth we have in excess of our needs... is owed by natural right to the poor for their sustenance. Level of Marginal Utility - ANSWER - level at which: by giving any more to the needy... one would cause as much suffering to oneself or one's dependents as one would relieve by that gift. Strong Version of Singer's Principle: -requires that we give up to this level Moderate Version of Singer's Principle: -does not require that we give up to this level What does Singer believe those who live in relatively affluent countries have a duty to sacrifice to protect people in poor countries from preventable evils? a. one-tenth of their incomes b. as much as they can afford without radically altering their lifestyles c. as much as they can afford without sacrificing something of comparable moral worth to what the poor are lacking d. as much as it would take to eradicate the evils if everyone else in that economic situation gave an equal amount - ANSWER - c (as much as they can afford without sacrificing something of comparable moral worth to what the poor are lacking)