Famine, Affluence, and Morality

“The Singer Solution to World Poverty” by Peter Singer (1999)

Singer’s essay “The Singer Solution to World Poverty” was written for the New York Times Magazine in 1999, at the time of his appointment to the faculty of Princeton University. He states that it was an updated version of his earlier essay “Famine, Affluence, and Morality.” He also included contact information for the relief agencies Oxfam and UNICEF, so readers could act on their impulse to help those in need.

• “The Singer Solution to World Poverty” on SuperSummary

The Life You Can Save: Acting Now to End World Poverty by Peter Singer (2009)

In The Life You Can Save, Singer expanded his ideas on how to address human suffering into a full-length book. He uses similar arguments as those in “Famine, Affluence, and Morality” to conclude that everyone who can has an obligation to give to people who are poor. He also discusses obstacles, both psychological and practical, that prevent people from giving, as well as how to give so as to maximize effectiveness. He ends by proposing everyone donate at least 1% of their annual income.

• The Life You Can Save on SuperSummary