First of all, after reading this article ive decided that the title, The Singer Solution of World Poverty, is exremely inaccurate and misleading. Although I thought that the author of the article, Peter Singer, was extremely smart and insightful, he hardly provided a solution to world poverty but rather a great insight, a connection to our own lives, and a guilt trip that could last for weeks.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the article (despite the title) and agree with what I believe to be Peter Singers perspective. He tires to draw parallels from characters of varius stories like Bob and Dora to our own decisions in life. He describes the idea that Bob's decision to not save the childs life is much like the harsh reality that many capable americans that can afford to, arent doing what they could easily do to save the lives of children in need. The difference between many capable Americans and the situation that the characters Bob and Dora are placed in is that in those stories, the characters are face to face, up close and personal with the childs life at risk, and they make a direct decision that determines the childs fate. Amercians however, dont see these starving, povershed children, which dont really pose a threat to our daily lives. Ignoring this problem however, is just as bad as Bobs decision to ignore the boy about to be killed by an oncoming train. I, much like the author, think that more Americans need to realize that we, and when i say we I mean earths entire population, are essentially all the same and we need to do everything in our power to help those in need.
Singer writes, "Suppose that there were more owners of priceless vintage cars-Carol, Dave, Emma, Fread and so on, down to Ziggy-all in exactly the same situation as Bob, with their own siding and their own switch, all sacrificing the child in order to preserve their own cherished car. Would that make it all right for Bob to do the same? To answer this question affirmatively is to enfore folow-the-crowd-ethics - the kind of ethics that led many Germans to look away when the Nazi atrocities were being committed. We do not excuse them beacause others were behaving no better."
I believe that going against the grain, and doing whats right when everyone else is to afraid to in those situations is the exact definition of nobility and those that commit these rightful acts are trurly noble. America needs more people like this.
