Moral Obligation & Effective Altruism
Belief that refers to a set of values by which a person has to follow
Consequentialism: Measure whether an action is right or wrong on the basis of the result, outcome or consequence of the action
Peter Singer defends that we should always do what will have the best consequences for all those affected by our actions.
Real Life Situation:
World hunger, Malaria, poverty, homeless families, shelterless animals… these are some of the causes that Peter Singer addresses in this TED Talk — he defends that people are, yes, morally obligated to help those who are in need of support. We are obliged to help others out, even if they are strangers and even if this means going out of our way or suffering some type of burden.
TOK Connections:
ETHICS: are we morally obliged to help others?
Three knowledge questions:
- To what extent is one morally obliged to help out in situations in which others need aid?
- In what ways and under what circumstances are some people “exempt” of this moral obligation (or not) to help others?
- To what extent are human beings altruistic or selfless when performing some type of charity work?
