false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255828999m/4722934.jpg 4722934 5 This is the right time to ask yourself: “What should I be doing to help?”<br><br>For the first time in history, it is now within our reach to eradicate world poverty and the suffering it brings. Yet around the world, a billion people struggle to live each day on less than many of us pay for bottled water. And though the number of deaths attributable to poverty worldwide has fallen dramatically in the past half-century, nearly ten million children still die unnecessarily each year. The people of the developed world face a profound choice: If we are not to turn our backs on a fifth of the world’s population, we must become part of the solution. <br><br>In <i>The Life You Can Save</i>, philosopher Peter Singer, named one of “The 100 Most Influential People in the World” by <i>Time</i> magazine, uses ethical arguments, provocative thought experiments, illuminating examples, and case studies of charitable giving to show that our current response to world poverty is not only insufficient but ethically indefensible.<br><br>Singer contends that we need to change our views of what is involved in living an ethical life. To help us play our part in bringing about that change, he offers a seven-point plan that mixes personal philanthropy (figuring how much to give and how best to give it), local activism (spreading the word in your community), and political awareness (contacting your representatives to ensure that your nation’s foreign aid is really directed to the world’s poorest people). <br><br>In <i>The Life You Can Save</i>, Singer makes the irrefutable argument that giving will make a huge difference in the lives of others, without diminishing the quality of our own. This book is an urgent call to action and a hopeful primer on the power of compassion, when mixed with rigorous investigation and careful reasoning, to lift others out of despair. 4787382 3 3 2009 The Life You Can Save: Acting Now to End World Poverty total:152|5:55|4:54|3:36|2:6|1:1| 152 612 442 74 5 3 false false Sun Mar 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 10:13:18 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 10:24:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Apr 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 28 03:37:13 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 22 07:11:01 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Mar 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 26 12:46:32 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 26 13:09:56 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jul 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 23 10:14:15 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 23 10:38:17 -0700 2009 the article it's based on in the NY Times, I was deeply affected by it. It prompted Jason and I to decide to increase our donations from 1% to 5% of our income once we pay off our student loans this year. But I...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Aug 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 04 14:47:30 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 06 06:33:51 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Apr 27 18:29:58 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 28 19:56:02 -0700 2009 3 1/2 stars actually. I'm of many minds about this book: could be a dynamite conversation-starter and change-agent; could be toxic and guilt-inducing; could be another way for us to say "I'm living right; gold star please." Singer's the Animal Liberation guy and his argument (t...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Apr 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 05 19:30:32 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 17:17:16 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Oct 05 19:19:11 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 05 19:31:07 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jul 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 12:08:01 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 24 16:49:02 -0700 2009 An excellent, accessible presentation of a distressingly unheeded argument.

"Do you have a bottle of water or a can of soda on the table beside you as you read this book? If you are paying for something to drink when safe drinking water comes out of the tap, you have money to spend o...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed May 06 03:20:48 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 09:15:27 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Mar 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 13:15:27 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 22:06:02 -0700 2009 need to create a stronger Culture of Giving and suggests a specific standard for what people in wealthy countries could do to help those in impoverished ones.

He references Charlotte Perkins Gilman's story "The Unnatural...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Nov 16 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 12 09:27:43 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 16 09:43:04 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jun 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 05:42:43 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 05:49:20 -0700 2009 Whilst the moral argument Singer 'explores' (well, is meant to) is compelling, as a student of political science I would have expected a more in depth explanation and exploration of the given notions within this book from the much revered Singer. I was looking forward to a mind stimulating and...more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue May 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat May 02 22:31:48 -0700 2009 Tue May 12 00:18:55 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Oct 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 15:54:39 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 27 14:50:45 -0700 2009
Singer is a good writer and he manages to pack a great deal of information into this very qu...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jul 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 24 05:32:11 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 24 05:52:20 -0700 2009 ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Aug 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 10 11:21:24 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 26 19:21:09 -0700 2009
After finishing, I'd recommend this to anyone thinking about how to decide what'...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 15 14:10:58 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 08:13:51 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri May 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue May 05 15:24:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 08 18:03:39 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Apr 21 18:37:49 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 21 19:57:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=4722934