Talk: What We Owe to the Global Poor, by Tan Liling (15 November 2010)

Philosophy Seminar Series: 15 November 2010, 3-4pm, Philosophy Resource Room; Speaker: Tan Liling, Current MA Student, NUS; Moderator: Mr Shaun Oon

Abstract: Naïvely, it seems that giving to the global poor is something that is good to do, but not wrong not to do. But is this all that morality demands of us? In World Poverty and Human Rights, Thomas Pogge challenges this common assumption, arguing that by doing nothing for the global poor, we are not merely failing to help, but we are violating our negative duty not to harm others. One objection to Pogge’s position is that affluent individuals acting in the context of the global institutional order do not meet the criteria of sufficient agency to count as harming the global poor. I argue that while this objection largely fails, it points us to the limits of what Pogge can claim, given his philosophical commitments.

LilingAbout the Speaker: Liling is pursuing her M.A. in Philosophy at the National University of Singapore. The paper she will present is to be read at The New Zealand Division of the Australasian Association of Philosophy (AAPNZ) in Waikato University.

More information on the Graduate Seminar Series can be found here.

Comments are closed.