Chapter 4 - Duties to the poor

Summary

Our affluence means that we have income we can dispose of without giving up the basic necessities of life, and we can use this income to reduce extreme poverty. Just how much we will think ourselves obliged to give up will depend on what we consider to be of comparable moral significance to the poverty we could prevent: stylish clothes, expensive dinners, a sophisticated stereo system, exotic holidays, a luxury car, a larger house, private schools for our children and so on . . . none of these is likely to be of comparable significance to the reduction of extreme poverty.

Peter Singer, Practical Ethics

Each man must examine his conscience, which sounds a new call in our present times. Is he prepared to support, at his own expense, projects and undertakings designed to help the needy? Is he prepared to pay higher taxes so that public authorities may expand their efforts in the work of development? Is he prepared to pay more for imported goods, so that the foreign producer may make a fairer profit? Is he prepared to emigrate from his homeland if necessary and if he is young, in order to help the emerging nations?

Pope Paul vi , Populorum Progressio

Introduction

In the last three chapters, despite there being significant and wide-ranging overlap, Peter Singer and the Church generally have come to significantly different final conclusions. But with regard to duties to the poor, the similarities between the two approaches are absolutely striking. There are important differences that we will discuss in due course, but with this topic we will see most clearly how much the two approaches have in common.