The Singer Solution to World Poverty

Philosopher Peter Singer, known for his uncompromising commitment to utilitarian principles, published his opinion editorial “The Singer Solution to World Poverty” in The New York Times Magazine on 5 September 1999. In the essay, Singer argues that the inhabitants of affluent countries have a moral obligation to donate a significant portion of their wealth to charities that can save lives around the world.

Singer begins by describing a situation from the 1998 Brazilian film Central Station. In the film, a woman named Dora accepts payment for leading a homeless boy to a particular address, thinking he will be adopted. She uses the money to purchase a TV. Later, Dora’s neighbor tells her that the boy will be killed and his organs sold; Dora resolves to recover the boy.

Singer posits that viewers would consider Dora a “monster” if she did anything else. He then draws parallels between Dora’s situation and that of Americans who spend money on unnecessary things, such as vacations and fashionable clothes. Singer suggests that they should instead donate these funds to charities with the power to saves children’s lives. He acknowledges some difference between the two situations, such as the physical distance between the wealthy and the at-risk children, but insists that the two scenarios are morally identical for anyone who “judges whether acts are right or wrong by their consequences” (61).