CAS PH 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Supererogation
4 Apr 2016
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Claim 1: suffering and death from lack of food, shelter, and medical care are bad (suffering that is preventable by humans). Claim 2: if it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought, morally to do it. I can prevent suffering by giving more $ to famine relief than i currently give. I wouldn"t be sacrificing anything of comparable moral value. Distance may affect your happiness and how likely you are to donate. The numbers of those able to help don"t lessen my obligations. Relieving famine (or other preventable suffering) is a duty, not an act of charity. It is not a supererogatory action, that is, an action that is good to do but not wrong not to do. Singer: this is a big if and probably most won"t donate: too hard to follow.
