Lecture 15
Missed a couple of lectures due to other responsibilities within the university and elsewhere (I don't get paid to attend the lectures - I'm doing this extra documentation out of the goodness of my heart) - apparently we're up to Lecture 15 now.
This week we're talking about the early work of prominent Australian philosopher Peter Singer. Here's an open version of the required reading:
http://www.utilitarian.net/singer/by/1972----.htm
"As I write this, in November 1971, people are dying in East Bengal from lack of food, shelter, and medical care."
How much has the world changed since this article was published? What issues could you apply the same arguments to this century?
From famines last century to chronic malnutrition this century.
Focus on preventing bad rather than promoting good?
From an "is" to an "ought"
Personally, the framing of this lecture reminds me of the work of Sam Harris, particularly
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moral_Landscape
How does the positioning of Harris as a high profile atheist impact the palatability of his arguments for people of different cultural backgrounds?