In "Famine, Affluence, and Morality," Peter Singer makes a case for the universal application of a Judeo-Christian morality through his advocating of denying ones self for the sake of others. Ultimately, his claims hinge upon the nature of "moral importance", something so utterly arbitrary that it seems a foolish place to base such haughty conclusions.
Singer's argument is simple enough. He believes that any act that can be done without requiring a forfeiture of higher "moral importance" ought to be done. The ambiguity of that claim, along with the sliding scale that the human moral compass is constructed upon should give us pause. Whenever anyone says we ought to do something, we need to look closer at the choices and examine what we, by default, ought not to do. The choices in Bengal seemed quite clear to Singer. He says that India had only two choices, but history proved him wrong. His claims that this does not affect his overall thesis only serves to further a belief that the creation of moral ultimatums is easiest when one sees the fewest number of alternatives. By ignoring the other options open for the people of India and Bengal to help themselves, it is much easier for us to convince ourselves that their need for our intervention is morally required.
The analogy of the drowning child is quite convincing, on face, but requires certain assumptions that seem to contradict Singer's underlying philosophy. Some beliefs, such as "the assumption that suffering and death from lack of food, shelter, and medical care are bad,"(231) would not be questioned save maybe in some of the harsher works of Malthus or Nietzsche. However, the claim that "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,"(231) raises serious concerns. Singer's example, which makes analogous a starving country and a drowning child, not only ignores scope but feasibility.
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. ...
