PHL275H1 Lecture 19: Applying Ethics to Famine Relief, With Regards to 1970s Bengal
Document Summary
Applying ethics to famine relief, with regards to 1970s bengal. Applied ethics contrasts with normative ethics by how it concerns speci c contingencies rather than general moral principles. First contingency addressed in this course is east bengal"s famine, when bangladesh was recently established, portrayed and expressed by peter singer"s 1971 article: note this scenario strikes parallels with more modern disasters such as the 2004. Singer"s article leads to two conclusions; both of them differ in strength. Such is the duty to impoverish ourselves. Marginal utility = the additional satisfaction a consumer gains from consuming one more unit of a good or a service: this conclusion is utilitarian in nature; in fact, singer is famed for being a utilitarian. Weak conclusion: we ought to give more than we give now : such is a utilitarian argument, which is extremely demanding. One ought to weigh consequences; one should act unless they"d cause an equal suffering for oneself.
