In Practical Ethics, Singer uses his version of preference utilitarianism, as a way to approach practical moral issues. So Singer is interested in applied ethics. Given this, he starts with his version of the theory.
1. Singer says (e.g. in his first two chapters) that the key to utilitarianism is that we engage in an ‘equal consideration of interests.’ By this, Singer means that what we owe to others is not that we treat them all equally, but we consider them equally. What are the details of such consideration? It is crucial to interpret this correctly and fairly. Are there any problems with the idea? Remember, Singer himself addresses some potential objections, especially in his article with Ng from our readings. Do not omit these. Overall, what do you think?
2. Singer insists that this ‘equal consideration’ is not based on certain kinds of facts. Namely, he says that while there may be broad racial and sexual differences that exist across groups, they are irrelevant to such consideration. Remember, he has sections on race and sex. Do not omit these, since they are key to his argument. Why does Singer hold that equal consideration does not recognize these kinds of differences, even if they exist? Do you agree or disagree, and why? If certain facts are not relevant to equal consideration, what kinds of things are important to consider, and do so equally? Why?
In this section, the outside reading may help. Similarly, in the video this week, Singer tries to explain himself
In each short essay, you must cite at least three quotes (i.e. real sentences, not just page numbers) from the texts in question, along with the relevant page numbers. Whenever you use a secondary source, moreover, you must quote at least once from it. When you include other references, in other words, that would be 4 or more quotes. So, that means that you must cite 3 sentences or more in quotes from the primary texts (those mentioned above), and one or more from the secondary sources.
