2011-48 - The Life You Can Save, by Peter Singer

48 - The Life You Can Save, by Peter Singer, 176 pages, Random House, 2009
WHY I PICKED IT: Read an article of his on Al Jazeera, and wanted to read more.
ELAPSED TIME: 2 weeks
RATING: Good

Singer takes us through the moral reasons for giving to humanitarian relief - to save a life.  He systematically breaks down the reasons why people don't give, and implores people to give more.

Interesting notes:
a) People give more when they think others have given more... so unlike what is taught in the Abrahamic faiths and modern culture where we are encouraged not to not talk about charity, he says the opposite.

b) He says that we shouldn't give because we're worried about wastage - there are organizations that track how much money is spent and how effectively... and they can be used as a guidepost.

c) He dismisses the "fair share" argument pretty compellingly - with a hypothetical situation of 10 kids drowning in a pond, and 10 adults able to help... but if only 5 step up to help, should they only save 1 life each ("it's only fair") or should they save two each because it's the right thing to do?  If that's the case, shouldn't we give as much as we reasonably can afford?

d) He proposes an formula that is remarkably like progressive taxation, to determine how much he thinks each person should give - and what that would yield if only the top 10% of income earners in the USA followed it (more than $140 billion).

Overall, it was a bit preachy, and he recommends some NGOs that I don't personally love... but his fundamental premise is worthwhile, and he raises some good points (even for people who currently give money to other causes).