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Life Worth Living is an initiative of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School.
What is the role of suffering in a good life?
Peter Singer on Giving
Life Worth Living Team
"... is everything else you are spending on as important, or nearly as important, as the life of a child? Not likely!”
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There’s a lot of suffering in the world. Much of it could be prevented or stopped.
Quote + Question + Context
What is the role of suffering in a good life?
There’s a lot of suffering in the world. Much of it could be prevented or stopped. So ask yourself: Are you doing enough for the suffering people in the world? Now go further: How much would it really cost to do more?
Peter Singer’s The Life You Can Save encourages us to ask these questions and proposes a challenging response.
Quote
[.alt-blockquote]“Suppose you have just sent $200 to an agency that can, for that amount, save the life of a child in a developing country who would otherwise have died. You’ve done something really good, and all it has cost you is the price of some new clothes you didn’t really need anyway. Congratulations! But don’t celebrate your good deed by opening a bottle of champagne, or even going to a movie. The cost of that bottle or movie, added to what you could save by cutting down on a few other extravagances, would save the life of another child. After you forgo those items and give another $200, though, is everything else you are spending on as important, or nearly as important, as the life of a child? Not likely!”[.alt-blockquote]
[.alt-blockquote]—Singer, The Life You Can Save, 18[.alt-blockquote]
Questions
- What are some extra expenses every month that you could forgo or do without?
- What organizations or issues would you prioritize if you were to give a portion of your income?
- Are there things in your life that are “non-negotiables”? What qualifies as a real need?
- What are ways that you show respect for the dignity of those around you? How can you respect the humanity and dignity of a person who lives across the globe?
- Does giving make you feel good? Is that a bad thing?
- Should people who earn more be expected to give a greater portion of their income and wealth? Or should everyone pull “equal weight” regardless of what they make?
- How much suffering would you be willing to endure to decrease the suffering of another?
Quote + Question + Context
What is the role of suffering in a good life?
There’s a lot of suffering in the world. Much of it could be prevented or stopped. So ask yourself: Are you doing enough for the suffering people in the world? Now go further: How much would it really cost to do more?
Peter Singer’s The Life You Can Save encourages us to ask these questions and proposes a challenging response.
Quote
[.alt-blockquote]“Suppose you have just sent $200 to an agency that can, for that amount, save the life of a child in a developing country who would otherwise have died. You’ve done something really good, and all it has cost you is the price of some new clothes you didn’t really need anyway. Congratulations! But don’t celebrate your good deed by opening a bottle of champagne, or even going to a movie. The cost of that bottle or movie, added to what you could save by cutting down on a few other extravagances, would save the life of another child. After you forgo those items and give another $200, though, is everything else you are spending on as important, or nearly as important, as the life of a child? Not likely!”[.alt-blockquote]
[.alt-blockquote]—Singer, The Life You Can Save, 18[.alt-blockquote]
Questions
- What are some extra expenses every month that you could forgo or do without?
- What organizations or issues would you prioritize if you were to give a portion of your income?
- Are there things in your life that are “non-negotiables”? What qualifies as a real need?
- What are ways that you show respect for the dignity of those around you? How can you respect the humanity and dignity of a person who lives across the globe?
- Does giving make you feel good? Is that a bad thing?
- Should people who earn more be expected to give a greater portion of their income and wealth? Or should everyone pull “equal weight” regardless of what they make?
- How much suffering would you be willing to endure to decrease the suffering of another?
Pairings
Our responses to life's big questions are meant to form a coherent whole—a vision of life worth living. A response to one question will fit well with certain responses to other questions, but it will be incompatible with others. We've provided the "Pairs Well With" and "Pairs Poorly With" sections for this article to help you consider these questions of coherence.
Pairs Well With
- “The Golden Rule” featured in many religions; in Christianity, Matthew 25:31-46
- The utilitarian idea that a good life is one that feels good
Pairs Poorly With
- Giving priority to special relations (friends, family, local community)
- The idea that suffering is valuable
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