logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2018
21m 4s

Larry Temkin on Obligations to the Needy

EDMONDS AND WARBURTON
About this episode

How can we best help other people? Peter Singer has argued that we should give aid. Despite a lifetime spent believing this, Larry Temkin has started to question whether the effects of aid are beneficial. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast he discusses some qualms about Peter Singer's arguments. 

Up next
Jul 30
Peter Singer on Ending Innocent Lives
The utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer has controversial views about when it is acceptable to end a human life. In conversation with David Edmonds he explains his approach, using examples from a range of areas, including infanticide. Some listeners may find some aspects of this ... Show More
23m 26s
Jul 21
Jing Hu on Songzi on Insults and Shame
The Chinese philosopher Songzi (382 BCE – 305 BCE) maintained that the appropriate response to insults was indifference, not aggression. Jing Hu, a philosopher at Concordia University, Montreal puts his thinking about insults and about the related concept of shame in context, and ... Show More
17m 56s
Jun 5
Rebecca Newberger Goldstein on Mattering
We are the kind of creature that cares whether or not we matter and how. What follows from this? Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of Mattering, discuses this with David Edmonds. 
22m 17s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2019
Wired For Altruism
(Original broadcast date: May 26, 2017). Helping others feels good, but why do some go farther than others? This hour, TED speakers explore ideas about altruism — what motivates us to be altruistic, what limits us and do we ever go too far. TED speakers include psychologist Abiga ... Show More
50m 25s
Jun 2016
Episode #085 ... Peter Singer on Effective Altruism
Today we talk about the great Peter Singer, his views on the unique moral obligations that we face as members of modern society and how we might fulfill the obligations in the most effective manner. Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. Website: ... Show More
23m 49s
Aug 2024
Episode #209 ... Improving our world through applied ethics. (Peter Singer, Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek)
Today we talk about Peter Singer's response to an anticapitalist critique of his work. Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek's thoughts on the wrong ways to be thinking about ethical terminology. Philosophy in schools. Creative activism. The ongoing impact of the Effective Altruist movement. ... Show More
36m 3s
Mar 2022
How Effective Altruism Works
A branch of philanthropy led by philosophers is dedicated to finding the most impactful ways to help humans survive and thrive. Anyone can find that agreeable, but it can be tough to hear it also means your donations to local charities are kind of a waste. Learn more about your a ... Show More
47m 41s
Aug 2011
1. Arguments from Beneficence, Part 1
James Grant, Lecturer in Philosophy at Oxford University, introduces some of the key concepts in philosophical debates about global poverty. He then discusses Peter Singer's argument that not donating to aid agencies is as wrong as letting a drowning child die. 
52m 24s
Dec 2020
#228 — Doing Good
Sam Harris speaks with Will MacAskill about how to do the most good in the world. They discuss the "effective altruism" movement, choosing causes to support, the apparent tension between wealth and altruism, how best to think about generosity over the course of one's lifetime, an ... Show More
2h 14m
Jun 2023
Peter Singer on Utilitarianism, Influence, and Controversial Ideas
<p class="MsoNormal">Peter Singer is one of the world's most influential living philosophers, whose ideas have motivated millions of people to change how they eat, how they give, and how they interact with each other and the natural world.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Peter joined Ty ... Show More
52m 24s
Oct 2025
A Little Happier: A Story from Real Life: Sometimes, We Help Best by Hanging Back
Sometimes, helping can hurt. When people are struggling, our impulse is to try to pull them back on their feet, when what they really need is for someone to sit beside them and ask, "What do you need? What can I do?" Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's websit ... Show More
4m 9s
Apr 2020
Money, Stories, and Old People
In this episode, we talk about a few different things — how to think about giving money to those in need, whether it's helpful to view our lives as stories, and how Taimur has been trying to develop more empathy with old people. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and ... Show More
1 h