Should the mindset of the child enter into it? What if he taunts us, saying that he is perfectly able to save himself but wants to see you soil your clothing? If there is another person, sitting by the pond, looking over the child are we freed from involvement? And, where do we find the rule with which to gauge the "moral importance" of actions?.
More importantly than any of the questions which Singer's arguments raise is that fact that it just doesn't feel right. It seems that if there is one action that we "ought" to do then it should be intuitive. If the pages of Time magazine do not elicit the same emotion in us as walking past a dying man then we need to examine, first, the psychology. The psychology behind the process is one foreign to us. Despite the obvious permeation of our society by the Judeo-Christian morality, it is not often practiced to the level of self-denial. As Singer shows us, we feel less need to help when we see others refuse, but this cannot change the moral requirement, can it? Well, in a way, it can. The moral code of our society is ever shifting, and when we see others fail to perform actions that should be morally obligated it is possible for us to begin to see those actions as less and less required. As much as Singer might try to fight it morality is not something that one is born with. It is not innate. Nietzsche showed us that the Master-Slave morality that currently permeates our world was a product of the Judeo-Christian rise from persecution to power. In every age man creates a set of a priori, things that cannot be questioned and believes that they were and always will be true. More than any rationalization, the human reaction to being told that they must act to save the starving masses of Bengal is enough to reject it on face, but we should go deeper.
In order to be held morally responsible for the plight of the starving, Singer says we must first have knowledge and second have ability to help.
A lyre is a small stringed instrument of the harp family that was use to accompany singers and reciters. ... The strings along with the singer together act as an ensemble. ... Thus making the people of Athens the chourus and Socrates the dicordant member or making the people of Athens the singer and Socrates the untuned lyre. ...