Everywhere in the world, poverty reigns. Some countries have different levels of poverty depending on the rates and levels of development. Third world developing countries such as Africa and South Asia have a high level of poor people. Over the century, the concept of helping the poor has aroused a great level of controversy due to the level of relevance to the activities of the poor people and the apathy that has engulfed the world today. Several scholars and philanthropists have elaborated their standards on the virtue of helping the poor. Some of these scholars include Phil, Singer among others. This essay evaluates the position of Singer on world poverty.
In an article on the world perception on poverty, Singer starts by engaging his readers on some obstacles of helping the poor. Using the symbol of Dora and 9-year-old pupil, the scholar continues to detail the nuance of helping the poor that has engulfed a huge population of the world today. In a way, helping the poor society today has become an avenue to enrich one another where the people who show concern have a way to benefit from the feat. In the case of Dora, (Singer’s protégé), she is a retired schoolteacher who cannot afford much of a TV set and decides to use a boy to get the set (Singer, 62). In one major way, the likes of Dora, with the intellect they posses, have a better way of determining between genuine help and false ones. In many cases, such people are too blinded by the need for money that does not pay attention to the details. Through this introduction, Singer displays the demeaning world that has settled on selling poor humanity in exchange for money. In many ways than one, the major paradigm that has engulfed the world today is the capitalistic tendency to sell humanity in the guise of helping the poor. Singer exposes the devilish side of human help where the population feels like helping the poor with a sinister motive (Singer 62).
Borrowing closely from the paradigm of helping the masses, a principle of sacrificing one to help many becomes evident through the actions of the movie exposition where such humanitarian causes are evident everywhere in the world. A moral judgment in the eyes of a utilitarian perspective derives the spirit of consequences becoming great and profitable to the greater human value. In one way, Singer agrees with the cast of Dora who gives away a boy to get money for a TV set while in another, he feels that the consequences of following the ideals of the masses derives much action than the decision to perform the action alone. In a world where the society easily condemns the poor, Hardin’s perspective in such a matter using the lifeboat reveals the hypocrisy in some humans. When Hardin claims that helping the poor into a lifeboat fits with a certain criteria, it emerges as incongruent. The utilitarian approach and the process of doing “good” the deontological way of Hardin deconstruct the opportunity to create a need to help often necessary in many philanthropists.
In one instance of association, Singer uses a variety of cases to develop his philosophy of making the wise choices that do not have to jeopardize the future actions of the society. In the case of Bob who lets a child die as opposed to his Bugatti, Singer relates to the free choice that many people have to undergo today in the face of trouble and helping the poor children. Many instances have people try to get philanthropic and humanitarian in helping the poor within their neighborhood without really facilitating their outreach. In the case of Oxfam and UNICEF, these organizations have direct lines and means of collecting data and funds to save the child population that is constantly dying across the developing world today. However, many people have a limited stand and rarely call the toll free numbers on offer. This poses the question of whether it is wise to help the poor or disabled in relation to a material possession which has created a realistic paradigm in the society. In many cases, the larger society that is more affluent often has the position to make a decision whether to help the poor or not in many freeways. These areas are not often exploited leading to the principle of materialism and extra caution in cases of egocentric materialism. In this case, it emerges that finding the perfect principle demands ethical considerations often missing (Hardin 38).
Singer, despite the utilitarian approach, reveals a very critical element of human association not often spoken but inherent to all. The society lives to create a similar taste and likeness in viewing situations and determining the outcome of relativistic tendencies that have catapulted the free association. In this case, many people often, upon meeting, strike a covert connection not often explainable but relative to the human coexistence and association. In this angle, the case of Dora, who has established an association with a child, differed quite significantly with a stranger who had not seen a child in the far distance. Such a resolves not to help is understandable to Singer. These maxims, explainable in many philosophical thoughts examine the true nature of humanity to reveal their identity to strangers. It goes further to explain the reasons why many people would hardly call a toll free number of Oxfam yet they have the money to give to charity (Singer, 61).
In conclusion, the ideals of Singer and charity to the poor reveal a realistic part of humanity that is often untold and condemned by many who do the same things. From the perspective of Freud (Hardin, 231), the personality traits of a person reveals three aspects that determine the activity of a person at every moment. The Id, Ego, as well as Super ego control the human coexistence. In the cases of realistic grounds, the id become determined and channeled in a different perspective often untold to the public. Singer agrees to the latter that exposes the character of humanity as covered by the human actions and is often illusive to the mainstream public. The Id, the ever-wanting part of the human mind and personality is a detrimental aspect and is controlled by the ego and super ego. However, the part does not often become lost to the ideals of the society and often become lost to the mainstream society. In a number of cases, a utilitarian approach to helping the poor, as determined by Singer is marred by many nuances of concrete affiliations and activity. Utilitarianism in helping the mainstream society is action determined and each case is different depending on a number of cases discussed above. The Lifeboat ethics by Hardin is a false element of real help when ethics are not determined by values such as the actions of the poor. Ideally, when Hardin says that the poor should start by seeking new ways to help themselves, people should start thinking of the lack of education, the frustration and lack of anything better to do that characterizes poverty today.
Reference
Hardin, Garrett. "Lifeboat ethics." Psychology Today 8.4 (1974): 38-43.
Singer, Peter. "Famine, affluence, and morality." Philosophy & Public Affairs1.3 (1972): 229-243.
Singer, Peter. "The Singer solution to world poverty." New York Times 5 (1999): 60-63.
