What is politics - Essay Example

What is Politics? I disagree with Peter Singer - that we all have our hands on the rail track switch when it comes to dealing with global poverty. Singer does not succeed in establishing that we are ethically needed to provide to charity. In Singer’s Famine, Affluence and Morality, he comes up with an assertion that we need to sacrifice money that we are supposed to have to stop people from dying. According to Singer, the question that we need to ask ourselves is: Are we really obligated to do this?

In actual fact, he points out that we cannot sacrifice material things owing to saving a life in his philosophy of our hands on the rail switch. Singer claims that what Bob did is justifiable, throwing away the rail switch to save his Bugatti and let the child die.It is apparent that Singer makes use of 2 significant but controversial philosophies that enable him come up with his conclusion. These 2 philosophies indicate first, anguish and death, as a result of lack of food, proper shelter and medical care, are dreadful.

Secondly, if it is in our strength to stop anything bad from taking place, without the need to forfeit anything of similar value, we need morally to do it. The initial philosophy is easy for many people to agree that anguish and death have nothing to do with great things. The second philosophy can be illustrated with the example that Singer provides that if we were in a situation where we take a rail switch and divert a train thus saving a child’s life or act like Bob who decides to throw away the train switch to save his Bugatti.

In a nut shell, Singer is trying to say that stopping something bad from taking place will at all times lead to destroying something material or spending cash on something meaningless.Depending on these two philosophies enables Singer come up with his conclusion at the end of his line of reasoning. Singer initially indicates that there are individuals in East Bengal who suffer and die from food deficiency and shelter which is trailed by his philosophy. When Singer mentions his 2 philosophies at first makes it easy to understand and in fact agree with his line of reasoning.

However, his conclusion is actually not convincing enough. Singer claims that it is undisputable that when money is sent to charity, life will be saved and people will be elevated from poverty. However, it is also evident that no matter how much we try to help the needy by donating some money, the global poverty will not end. This is, even if we send a lot of cash to poor countries, we will end up doing this for the rest of our lives. In due course, with never ending donations and charity work, it is evident that this will lead to immense depression and untold suffering.

In conclusion, poverty is a huge problem and it is the role of the people to help create a solution to this menace. We all know that anguish and death are ethically wrong in human life and if we have a chance to help, it is our duty to do so. Singer’s conclusion that there is a level that we can reach in helping out is devastating. In fact, Singer makes it even worse upon mentioning that money should make us happy but not to be used to help others come uot of poverty.