Effect of distance on aid

In Singer’s article Famine, Affluence, and Morality, Singer explains that when a person is in close physical proximity to one’s self, it is often “more likely that we shall assist him” (232); however, “this does not show that we ought to help him rather than another who happens to be further away” (232). In stating this, he has implied that physical proximity to an individual, or group of individuals in need should not necessarily influence whether or not we feel a moral obligation to help those individuals, yet it still seems to have an incredible impact.

       Despite the seemingly good argument Singer poses in regards to distance playing a large factor in the lack of aid to Bengal, he also appears to contradict himself. Although distance often influences the speed at which help is received, “instant communication and swift transportation have changed the situation” (232), making Singer’s argument less solid. Distance once made it difficult to help those far away from us, but technology has allowed us to tremendously speed up the process of aiding others. Although it does not seem as easy to send money over to Bengal as it would be to hand a homeless person money on the street, in today’s society it can be just as quick. The internet, for instance, has evolved to such a point that one can type in their credit card number then click submit and within about five minutes have sent money to Bengal, the same amount of time it would take for one to pull out their wallet and hand that homeless person money. With that being said, there should be no argument that distance or time has an effect on whether or not one helps others in need, especially when present technology has made sending aid so quick and simple.