Travis Timmerman: a Reply to Singer

question 21

Multiple Choice

Travis Timmerman: A Reply to Singer
In "A Reply to Singer," Travis Timmerman examines Peter's Singer argument for the claim that we are morally obligated to donate most of our expendable income to aid organizations. Timmerman focuses on the second premise of Singer's argument (which states that if it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable importance, we ought, morally, to do it) , and argues (i) that Singer fails to justify the truth of this premise and (ii) that there are positive reasons to reject it.
Singer's defense of his second premise rests on the famous "Drowning Child" thought experiment. According to Singer, our intuitive moral reaction to this thought experiment-that it is wrong not to save the life of a drowning child at the expense of new clothes-shows that we already accept the truth of his premise, at least implicitly. Timmerman disagrees. Because we rarely, if ever, find ourselves in the position Singer describes, our intuitive reaction to the "Drowning Child" case is informed, according to Timmerman, by the implicit assumption that it describes an anomalous, one-off event. Timmerman then points out that an intuitive conviction that it is wrong not to make a single, one-time monetary sacrifice to save the life of a child is not the same as, nor does it entail, the belief that we are obligated to spend our entire lives repeatedly making similar sacrifices, as Singer's premise requires of people in situations like ours. Singer's attempt to justify his second premise-by showing that our moral intuitions reveal we already accept it-therefore fails on Timmerman's view.
Timmerman next argues that if we consider a more relevant analogy ("Drowning Children") , in which a person is in a position to save many drowning children everyday over the course of her entire life at comparably insignificant personal cost, our moral intuitions actually conflict with Singer's second premise. Timmerman therefore concludes that not only do our commonsense moral intuitions fail to support Singer's second premise, they also reveal that people positively reject the truth of the premise.
-According to Timmerman, our commonsense moral reaction to the "Drowning Children" case:

• A) shows that we reject the truth of Singer's second premise.
• B) is that saving all the children is not morally required.
• C) shows we believe it permissible to enjoy a comparably morally insignificant good at the expense of a child's life.
• D) all of the above.

Recognize the distinction between normal and inferior goods, and how their demand curves behave.

Appreciate the significance of the concept of diminishing marginal utility and its implications for consumer choice.

Analyze the conditions under which the demand curve for certain goods may slope upwards (Giffin goods).

Evaluate the implications of price changes on consumer welfare through the lens of income effect.

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Definitions:

Grasping

The act of gripping something firmly with the hands or arms; in developmental psychology, it refers to an important motor skill in infants.

Reflexes

are automatic, involuntary responses to stimuli that occur without conscious thought, such as blinking or the knee-jerk reaction.

Voluntary Behavior

Actions that are performed consciously and with intention, often motivated by personal choice rather than automatic reflexes.

Temperament

Temperament refers to the innate aspects of an individual's personality, such as their tendency towards certain moods and behaviors, which are evident from an early age.