In Peter Singer's Famine, Affluence, And Morality?

In Peter Singer’s “Famine, Affluence, and Morality,” he argues that when people abroad are suffering or dying from lack of food, shelter or medicine, it is wrong for people here to spend money on morally unimportant things rather than giving money to help (Hughes). This means that we have a moral obligation to do what we can to alleviate the stress of poverty abroad if it does not do any harm to us helping them. If we are able to benefit people abroad, we should do so. Food, shelter, and quality healthcare are things that should be seen as basic necessities; therefore, not only do we have a moral obligation to help those abroad in need, but we should also have the want to help those in need. Although Singer asserts this claim, he does identify
One’s physical and emotional proximity plays a role in one’s personal desire to help others in need. Emotional connections are important, and the closeness of one person to another person can affect how prone a person is to help that person in a time of need. Emotional proximity deals with the nature of the relationship with the recipient of the aid. By helping countries abroad, the likelihood of a person knowing the name of the recipient is slim. Physical proximity is an indicator of how close in location one person is to the recipient of their aid. In general, a person is more likely to help a person that they can see. As the saying goes “out of sight, out of mind”. If you don’t actually see the problem, there is little concern to actually solve the
The Penn Fund is a fund used to raise money specifically for the four undergraduate colleges at the university. The funds are said to be used for financial aid as well as funding the student life activities for these undergraduate students. The callers are required to garner pledges and donations from alumni and parents to benefit the undergraduates. Many parents and alumni are not able to provide the amount initially requested ($100) and the callers are forced to lower the ask amount. The callers are reminded to keep their asks at or above $5. When they continue to ask for the donation they are also prompted to inform the prospect that the gifts received in the previous year that were less than $100 amounted in over $10,000 in donations to the undergraduate fund. The reasoning behind this statement is to have the prospect feel as though their contribution will be very effective in supporting the current undergraduate students and it also serves to demonstrate that their peers are also making small donations that in number can help benefit the undergraduate students. From working at the calling center, I have witnessed emotional and physical proximity into play. Potential donors are more likely to give to a specific program/school within the university that they attended or