The Ethics of Assistance: Morality and the Distant Needy (Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Public Policy)

Book Overview

As globalization has deepened worldwide economic integration, moral and political philosophers have become increasingly concerned to assess duties to help needy people in foreign countries. The essays in this volume present ideas on this important topic by authors who are leading figures in these debates. At issue are both the political responsibility of governments of affluent countries to relieve poverty abroad and the personal responsibility of individuals to assist the distant needy. The wide-ranging arguments shed light on global distributive justice, human rights and their implementation, the varieties of community and the obligations they generate, and the moral relevance of distance. This provocative volume will interest scholars in ethics, political philosophy, political theory, international law and development economics, as well as policy makers, aid agencies, and general readers interested in the moral dimensions of poverty and affluence.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521527422
• ISBN13: 9780521527422
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 308 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Political and Moral responsiblities of Nations towards the Poor

From back cover: "As globalization has deepened worldwide economic integration, moral and political philosophers have become increasingly concerned to assess duties to help needy people in foreign countries. The essays in this volume present the latest ideas on this important topic by authors who are leading figures in these debates. At issue are both the political responsibility of governments of affluent countries to relieve poverty abroad and the personal responsibility of individuals to assist the distant needy. The wide-ranging arguments shed light on global distributive justice, human rights and their implementation, the varieties of community and the obligations they generate, and the moral relevance of distance." ******* CONTENTS: * Preface 1 - Introduction - Deen K. Chatterjee Part I: THE ETHICS OF DISTANCE 2 - Outsiders: our obligations to those beyond our borders - Peter Singer 3 - Moral limits on the demands of beneficence? - Richard J. Arneson 4 - The new problem of distance in morality - F.M. Kamm 5 - Absence and the unfond heart: why people are less giving than they might be - Judith Lichtenberg Part II - COMMUNITIES AND OBLIGATIONS 6 - Moral Closeness and world community - Richard W. Miller 7 - National responsibility and international justice - David Miller Part III - THE LAW OF PEOPLES 8 - Women and theories of global justice: our need for new paradigms - Martha Nussbaum 9 - Human rights as foreign policy imperatives - Erin Kelly 10 - Human rights and the law of peoples - Charles R. Beitz Part IV - RIGHTS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS 11 - Thickening convergence: human rights and cultural diversity - Henry Shue 12 - Global justice: Whose obligations? - Onora O'Neill 13 - 'Assisting' the global poor - Thomas W. Pogge