2 HN users recommended this lecture2 months2023–2026score 2.5
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
HN recommends it as the best short exposition of Singer's argument for a duty to give.
Philosopher Jeffrey Kaplan summarizes Peter Singer's 1972 essay 'Famine, Affluence, and Morality', arguing that failing to give to save lives is morally comparable to letting a child drown. It is a short lecture on the argument's structure.
“I think the video is the best short exposition but you could try reading the paper the video is about” (HN, 2026)
> If I gave $500 to kids cancer research every year for 5 years, and then I don't give this year, do I have blood on my hands every time a kid dies of cancer from now on? And if you didn't ever donate, you don't? > How does this work? Okay, since the topic at hand is steelmanning, that is, replying to the strongest possible argument, let's practice that. I invite you to watch this video, which is a short lecture that indeed exposes the strongest argument for this exact proposition. [this video] (Peter Singer - ordinary people are evil) I think the video is the best short exposition but you could try reading the paper the video is about [link] Or reading about the paper [link]
Short lecture giving the strongest argument for duty to give.
> I don't see why you should feel guilt. You should feel guilty because you can do something about other people's suffering, instead of being a greedy hoarder who has far more than he could possibly use in multiple lifetimes while other people starve and live miserable lives due to the system you benefit from. I think Peter Singer makes the argument very well [1] but many others in the history of philosophy have done just as good a job. Even Rawls is an option. 1. [this video]
Presents Singer's argument on obligation to help others.
Peter Singer's Famine Affluence & Morality (1972) argued similarly, that we allow human suffering & don't do anything, even though we could. And he said that makes us provably evil. Recent submission, a video on Singer's paper: [link] [this video]
Video on Singer's 1972 paper about duty to relieve suffering.
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