The Life You Can Save: How To Do Your Part To End World Poverty

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2009

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Preface-Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

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Index of Terms

Diffusion of Responsibility and Bystander Effect

The diffusion of responsibility occurs when many people are equally morally responsible for the same thing. It often occurs in a corporate/business setting in which a major error is attributable to several minor errors up and down the corporate ladder. In other cases, it may produce the “bystander effect.” The bystander effect happens when many people let something bad unfold because each of them feels little individual responsibility (as a function of the number of bystanders). According to Singer, responsibility for global catastrophes is so diffuse that most people feel no responsibility at all. This leads to a kind of bystander effect because most people continue to do nothing in the face of serious moral emergencies like the suffering of the extremely poor.

Effective Altruism

Effective altruism is a movement within philanthropy that aims to maximize the cost-effective measures for alleviating the suffering of those in absolute poverty. The purpose of the effective altruism movement is not simply to do good by donating to decent causes; it is instead to achieve maximal results through the scientific evaluation of rigorously gathered data regarding the most efficient and effective aid organizations and programs.

Futile Thinking

This is the sense of futility people feel about changing a situation they feel is hopeless. In the case of world poverty, the futile thinker neglects to take any action to address the issue because any effect they could produce would be a “drop in the bucket.” It’s the sense that the poor will always be with us and there’s nothing to be done about that. Singer believes this is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we have hope and choose to do something, then things will change. According to Singer, the sense of futility, like the sense of fairness, is a psychological enemy of correct moral action.

The Identifiable Victim Effect

This is a psychological effect that plays on human affective (rather than deliberative) responses. It entails that people are much more likely to give charitable contributions to individuals in need if they know their distinct identities; if the potential giver can only think of the victim(s) in abstract terms, they are less likely to give. This is also known as the “the rule of rescue.” Singer’s continued use of example cases through thought experiments, personal stories, testimonials, and famous exemplars are all methods of making the victim (and the moral hero) identifiable.

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory (that is, an ethical theory that concerns how people should behave rather than how they in fact do) of the consequentialist variety. This means that utilitarians believe that the most ethical action is the action that yields the best possible consequences. Good consequences are measured by how much they increase happiness (or pleasure) and decrease pain (or suffering). Singer’s utilitarian theory—which is never explicitly called such in The Life You Can Save—primarily focuses on eliminating the meanest and harshest of suffering. A utilitarian like Singer engages in a “moral calculus” in order to determine the quantitatively maximal way to promote happiness and minimize suffering.