Here are the two primary frameworks society offers us for trying to meet the demands of universal benevolence. Either we believe that we are good people because we identify and aid those who are most disadvantaged, or we are good people because we act as if people are disadvantaged and deserve our aid. At the heart of both frameworks is the assumption that compassion, desiring the good of others, is something that is merited. And each of us is responsible for judging that merit.
