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cover of episode Larry S. Temkin, "Being Good in a World of Need" (Oxford UP, 2022)

Larry S. Temkin, "Being Good in a World of Need" (Oxford UP, 2022)

2024/12/25
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Larry Temkin: 自幼关注全球贫困问题，长期以来支持国际援助，并积极参与相关活动，如为乐施会筹款。 与诺贝尔经济学奖得主Angus Deaton的讨论，让他开始反思国际援助的有效性，并意识到以往的观点可能过于简单化。 他认为，有效利他主义的初衷是好的，但其方法论可能过于关注结果，忽视了其他重要的道德考量，例如尊重当地文化和自主性。 Angus Deaton的批评，以及作者自身的思考，促使他写了《在需要的世界中行善》一书，探讨国际援助的复杂性和潜在的负面影响。 他认为，国际援助可能导致“资源诅咒”，即援助资金被腐败政府或强人利用，加剧社会不公和冲突。 国际援助还可能导致“人才流失”和“品格流失”，即优秀人才被国际组织高薪聘用，导致当地政府和社会机构缺乏有效的人才。 此外，国际援助可能导致新殖民主义现象，即援助国以帮助的名义干涉受援国的内政，忽视当地文化和传统。 作者认为，帮助弱势群体是道德义务，但需要采取更有效和负责任的方式，例如关注当地治理状况，避免资金被滥用，尊重当地文化和自主性，并支持当地社区发展。 他建议，可以优先考虑在治理良好的国家提供援助，支持当地社区发展项目，以及直接帮助有需要的人。 Morteza Hajizadeh: 长期关注国际援助问题，对大型机构的援助方式抱有怀疑态度。 在与Larry Temkin的对话中，他表达了对国际援助可能导致的负面影响的担忧，例如腐败、不平等和新殖民主义。 他分享了在自己的国家，当地社区在应对自然灾害时往往比政府更有效率的例子，这反映了对政府效率和国际援助有效性的质疑。 他还提到了国际援助机构工作人员可能形成与当地社区隔离的“外籍人士社区”，这可能会加剧种族刻板印象和新殖民主义现象。 最后，他提出了一个问题：在拥有帮助弱势群体的意愿和资源的情况下，我们应该如何负责任地履行道德和公民义务？

Deep Dive

Key Insights

What is the central question of Larry Temkin's book 'Being Good in a World of Need'?

The central question is how the well-off should respond to the world's needy in a world filled with both enormous wealth and pockets of great devastation. Temkin challenges common assumptions about philanthropy, including his own prior beliefs and the dominant philosophical positions of Peter Singer and Effective Altruism.

Why did Larry Temkin shift his focus from psychology to philosophy?

Temkin initially wanted to study psychology to understand why people commit heinous acts like the Holocaust or racial violence. However, he found psychology, particularly behaviorism, inadequate for addressing these profound moral questions. Philosophy offered a way to critically examine arguments, question authority, and explore ethical principles, which he believed could help prevent such atrocities.

What is the 'resource curse' and how does it relate to global aid?

The 'resource curse' refers to the phenomenon where countries with abundant natural resources often experience poor economic development, civil unrest, and corruption. This occurs because control over resources incentivizes warlords and tyrants to fight for power, leading to instability. In the context of global aid, external funds can similarly become a resource that corrupt governments exploit, undermining their responsiveness to citizens and perpetuating harm.

What is 'brain and character drain' in the context of global aid?

Brain and character drain refers to the unintended consequence of aid agencies hiring the most talented, honest, and capable individuals from local communities. While this benefits the aid organizations, it deprives the local government and society of these skilled individuals, who are essential for social, political, and economic development. This can lead to inefficiencies and corruption in critical sectors like education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

What are the ethical concerns raised by international aid agencies operating in poor countries?

International aid agencies often operate in ways that can reinforce racial stereotypes, undermine local autonomy, and perpetuate a form of neo-colonialism. Aid workers may live in expat communities, drive up local prices, and impose Western values without respecting local cultures. This can lead to a lack of respect for the autonomy and traditions of the communities they aim to help, raising serious ethical concerns about the true impact of their interventions.

What is Temkin's view on the moral obligation to help the needy?

Temkin believes that neglecting the needy is morally impermissible. He argues that we have a moral obligation to help those in need, especially when the sacrifice required is minimal. However, he emphasizes the importance of finding ways to help that do not inadvertently support corrupt governments or perpetuate harm. This includes supporting local initiatives, humanitarian aid in stable countries, and advocating for systemic changes in international policies.

Chapters
This chapter explores the central question of how wealthy individuals should respond to global need, challenging common assumptions about philanthropy and examining the ethical complexities of aid. It introduces the author's personal journey and the dinner party anecdote that sparked the book.
  • The book explores the ethical dilemmas of global aid.
  • The author's personal experience with philanthropy is highlighted.
  • The dinner party sets the stage for the book's central argument.

Shownotes Transcript

In a world filled with both enormous wealth and pockets of great devastation, how should the well-off respond to the world's needy?

This is the urgent central question of Being Good in a World of Need)* *(Oxford UP, 2024). Larry S. Temkin, one of the world's foremost ethicists, challenges common assumptions about philanthropy, his own prior beliefs, and the dominant philosophical positions of Peter Singer and Effective Altruism. Filled with keen analysis and insightful discussions of philosophy, current events, development economics, history, literature, and age-old wisdom, this book is a thorough and sobering exploration of the complicated ways that global aid may incentivize disastrous policies, reward corruption, and foster “brain drains” that hinder social and economic development.

Using real-world examples and illuminating thought experiments, Temkin discusses ethical imperialism, humanitarian versus developmental aid, how charities ignore or coverup negative impacts, replicability and scaling-up problems, and the views of the renowned economists Angus Deaton and Jeffrey Sachs, all within the context of deeper philosophical issues of fairness, responsibility, and individual versus collective morality. At times both inspiring and profoundly disturbing, he presents the powerful argument that neglecting the needy is morally impermissible, even as he illustrates that the path towards helping others is often fraught with complex ethical and practical perils. Steeped in empathy, morality, pathos, and humanity, this is an engaging and eye-opening text for any reader who shares an intense concern for helping others in need.

Larry S. Temkin is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers. He graduated number one from the University of Wisconsin/Madison before pursuing graduate work at Oxford and earning his PhD from Princeton. He is the author of Inequality, hailed as "one of the [20th century's] most important contributions to analytical political philosophy" and of Rethinking the Good, described as a "tour de force" and "a genuinely awe-inspiring achievement." Temkin's approach to equality has been adopted by the World Health Organization. An award-winning teacher, he has received fellowships from Harvard, All Souls College and Corpus Christi College at Oxford, the National Institutes of Health, the Australian National University, the National Humanities Center, the Danforth Foundation, and Princeton.

Morteza Hajizadeh)* is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube channel). Twitter).*

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