I have been a utilitarian for as long as I’ve had a label for my worldview. I was greatly influenced early on by the works of Peter Singer [petersinger.info]. Most notably Practical Ethics [confusion.cc] and Animal Liberation [confusion.cc], both of which I’ve written of here on Confusion.
The first thing I read by Singer, in an introduction to ethics class long ago, was Famine, Affluence and Morality an article Singer published in 1972. The idea in Famine can be summed up as “you, and those you know, don’t give enough money to help poor, suffering people around the world, and that makes you a morally bad person”. It’s a short essay, a quick read, but its conclusion was, and in many ways still is, shocking. It’s easy to see why many people have a gut reaction to it, rejecting its conclusion. “How can I be a bad person, just because I don’t give all of my money to others, to others half a world away?” It’s an uncomfortable feeling that you might be morally bad. There are lots of objections to Famine including many academic or more thorough attempts to rebut it.
Singer expanded on the concepts of Famine and published The Life You Can Save: How to Do Your Part to End World Poverty [thelifeyoucansave.org] in 2009 and an updated second edition in 2019. I missed it, not having read much philosophy or ethics in the past decade plus. But last year I stumbled across a series of philosophy lectures on YouTube by Jeffrey Kaplan [youtube.com] which included this episode on The Most Controversial Ethics Paper Ever Written [youtube.com], that covers the original Famine paper. After watching it I went looking for a copy of Famine and I stumbled upon The Life You Can Save. I ordered a physical copy of the book but you can get the ebook and even an audio copy read by some famous people from the link above, for free.
The book covers the original idea of the paper fairly quickly, with the a typical Singer approach of using leading you through a situation where few would disagree with his conclusions, then drawing a large moral equivalence between that situation and something much larger, and challenging the reader to find fault. He then spends the rest of its length addressing various objections or refutations of the moral conclusion that he draws from the parable and analogy.
The larger issue is global poverty and the apparent apathy that the world’s affluent have towards it and its effects. Affluent here means anyone who can cover their basic needs, meaning nearly everyone living in ‘western’, ‘developed’, ‘rich’ or ‘affluent’ countries. Meaning you and me and nearly everyone you know. To back up this accusation of apathy Singer includes significant time on data about giving, people’s perceptions of how much is given, how much should be given, and, the effects and efficiency of what is given or the lack thereof.
The updated second edition also includes a lot of stories about people who give, their money or time. Some were inspired by the first edition, some are an inspiration; rising from their own struggles to devote their lives to helping others.
Crucially there is also a discussion of what the Singer thinks is actually a reasonable, workable, contribution level that everyone can strive for. Even if you don’t live up to the ideal of giving until you are on the edge of needing yourself you can give, more than you think and it will help if you give well and you give intentionally. One of those people inspired by the first edition setup the charity that bears the name of the book; The Life You Can Save [thelifeyoucansave.org]`, dedicated to making giving easy and effective for everyone.
The Life You Can Save is a hard book. Like everything by Singer I have ever read I think most people will have a visceral reaction to it. I can’t imagine anyone having a neutral reaction to it. I think that if you read it and think about it, examine your life and the reality that the book discusses you can only have one of two reactions; you can give and give generously, or, you can work yourself into knots to avoid giving. Once you’ve read The Life You Can Save you can’t plead ignorance of this issue.
Reading Singer’s Practical Ethics [confusion.cc] and, later, Animal Liberation [confusion.cc] were foundational to my own self examination. Practical Ethics is still the single most influential book on my understanding of what I think, the fundamental morals and ethics I use to understand my worldview. It’s hard to live up to a code of ethics, it takes time and effort. It’s important to understand your own code, so that when you need to make a decision in the moment you have something to draw on. The Life You Can Save is more of the same, challenging and important. For myself, I have increased the amount I give, as a regular monthly donation after reading it. I have been giving for years, but I never increased it as my own income and ability to give increased.
You should read The Life You Can Save, get the ebook or audio book for free here [thelifeyoucansave.org] or listen to the full book as a podcast via Apple:
or Spotify:
There is no excuse.