Excellence in opera or saving a life? Your choice.

Source: Peter Singer
Affiliation: The Washington Post

In this article, Peter Singer questions where one ought to direct their charitable donations. For example, does donating to prevent suffering in developing countries take precedence over funding a new opera house? Singer argues that there is a rational basis for ethics that entails a universal perspective. Thus, in order to do the most good that one can, one ought to prevent suffering in developing countries (or even to prevent animal suffering) rather than to strive for excellence in opera production.

Keywords: Altruism , Community , Ethics , Nature , Philosophy