Being Good in a World of Need

by Larry S. Temkin

Overview

In a world filled with both enormous wealth and pockets of great devastation, how should the well-off respond to the world's needy?

This is the urgent central question of Being Good in a World of Need. Larry S. Temkin, one of the world's foremost ethicists, challenges common assumptions about philanthropy, his own prior beliefs, and the dominant philosophical positions of Peter Singer and Effective Altruism. Filled with keen analysis and insightful discussions of philosophy, current events, development economics, history, literature, and age-old wisdom, this book is a thorough and sobering exploration of the complicated ways that global aid may incentivize disastrous policies, reward corruption, and foster "brain drains" that hinder social and economic development.

Using real-world examples and illuminating thought experiments, Temkin discusses ethical imperialism, humanitarian versus developmental aid, how charities ignore or coverup negative impacts, replicability and scaling-up problems, and the views of the renowned economists Angus Deaton and Jeffrey Sachs, all within the context of deeper philosophical issues of fairness, responsibility, and individual versus collective morality. At times both inspiring and profoundly disturbing, he presents the powerful argument that neglecting the needy is morally impermissible, even as he illustrates that the path towards helping others is often fraught with complex ethical and practical perils. Steeped in empathy, morality, pathos, and humanity, this is an engaging and eye-opening text for any reader who shares an intense concern for helping others in need.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198912132
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/29/2024
Series:	Uehiro Series in Practical Ethics
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 6.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Larry S. Temkin, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Larry S. Temkin is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers. He graduated number one from the University of Wisconsin/Madison before pursuing graduate work at Oxford and earning his PhD from Princeton. He is the author of Inequality, hailed as "one of the [20th century's] most important contributions to analytical political philosophy" and of Rethinking the Good, described as a "tour de force" and "a genuinely awe-inspiring achievement." Temkin's approach to equality has been adopted by the World Health Organization. An award-winning teacher, he has received fellowships from Harvard, All Souls College and Corpus Christi College at Oxford, the National Institutes of Health, the Australian National University, the National Humanities Center, the Danforth Foundation, and Princeton.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction2. Global Need: My Longtime Commitment and Earlier Views3. Singer's Pond Example and Some Worries about Effective Altruism4. Direct versus Indirect Aid5. The Dark Side of Humanity, Part I—Worries about Internal Corruption6. The Dark Side of Humanity, Part II—Worries about External Corruption7. The Dark Side of Humanity, Part III—Where Evil Walks8. Marketplace Distortions and Human Capital9. Model Projects and the Difficulty of Predicting Future Success10. Ethical Imperialism: Some Worries about Paternalism, Autonomy, and Respect11. On the Relation between Aid, Governance, and Human Flourishing: Deaton's Worry12. Individual versus Collective Rationality and Morality: A Troubling Possibility13. Further Objections to Deaton's Worry and Some Responses14. Responsibility and Fairness: Further Support for a Pluralistic Approach to Global Aid15. Taking Stock, Clarifications, and Further Thoughts16. Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

"Adopting a pluralistic approach to global aid is of great importance, and so is being sensitive to the role institutions play in promoting development goals. Being Good should be commended for calling attention to these themes." — Marcos Picchio, Economics and Philosophy

"In this book, Temkin engages sympathetically but critically with both the philosophical views and the practical recommendations of effective altruists like Peter Singer. Specifically, he raises a number of challenges to the view that one of the most important things that the well-off among us can and ought to do in order to live a morally good life in a world of need...Temkin emphasizes repeatedly that he has long been, and remains, a strong proponent of aiding the badly off (44, 295, 318), and that at least most of what he argues in the book is compatible with the broad spirit of effective altruism." — Brian Berkey, University of Pennsylvania, Ethics

"The book is unique in regard to its empirically rich foundation. Temkin's work is rooted in vast philanthropic research, and a large portion of the book concerns the implications of moral theory in light of the hard data. This volume will not only reawaken the desire to do good but also make readers fundamentally wrestle with the empirical reality of doing good. Temkin forces readers to acknowledge that ethics is an abstract discipline but an incarnate, empirical reality." — Choice

From the Publisher