|
The world is full of inequalities: you are able to sit and read this while millions of innocent children and adults die
from preventable causes. You may think it is none of your concern, but you will be persuaded otherwise if you hear some
of the compelling arguments for helping others. A famous argument comes from Peter Singer, a contemporary philosopher. To
paraphrase: suppose you walk and see an infant drowning in a shallow puddle - to save her you would need to get your shoes
wet, yet few would argue you are permitted to walk away and let the child die. It seems a reasonable principle to follow is:
"if it is of little cost to you, you ought to do that which saves a life of an innocent person". But here is a fact: donating
as little as $10 can save a life of a person. One may disagree with the low dollar estimate, but there are numerous interventions
which are similarly cheap that do a large amount of good (ie. cure certain cases of blindness for under $30).
The proposal here is that you set aside a certain fraction of your discretionary spending and donate it. Thus: Have Fun Do Good!
To help you choose a charity that does the most good for your money, consider GiveWell, an
independent, nonprofit charity evaluator which assesses the quality of numerous charities based on a set of reasonable explicit
criteria.
For those willing to take donation a step further, please consider Giving What We Can.
|
