44 pages • 1 hour read
The Life You Can Save: How To Do Your Part To End World Poverty
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Book Brief
240
Book • Nonfiction
2000s
2009
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
In The Life You Can Save, philosopher Peter Singer argues that affluent individuals have ethical obligations to alleviate global poverty, prioritizing the health and well-being of impoverished people over personal luxuries. He offers practical guidance on effective charitable giving, explores psychological barriers to generous behavior, and suggests new ethical standards for philanthropy based on utilitarian principles. Topics include extreme poverty and malnutrition.
Informative
Inspirational
Contemplative
Hopeful
Reviews & Readership
6,811 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
Peter Singer's The Life You Can Save receives praise for its compelling arguments on ethical giving and its practical advice on effective altruism. Critics appreciate its clear, persuasive writing but find some assumptions overly idealistic. While impactful, some suggest it simplifies complex global poverty issues. Overall, it is thought-provoking and encourages positive change.
Who Should Read The Life You Can Save?
The ideal reader for Peter Singer's The Life You Can Save is a socially conscious individual interested in ethics, charity, and global poverty. Comparable to readers of William MacAskill's Doing Good Better and Nicholas Kristof's Tightrope, they seek actionable insights into making a positive impact and alleviating human suffering.
6,811 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
240
Book • Nonfiction
2000s
2009
Adult
18+ years
Continue your reading experience
Subscribe now to unlock the rest of this Study Guide plus our full library, which features expert-written summaries and analyses of 8,000+ additional titles.