[lacampbell]

No I don't think I have a moral obligation to help people I've never met that I don't live anywhere near. I do think I have a moral obligation not to do people harm, but that's really about it.

As far as helping people, I feel morally obliged to help the people close to me, and no one else. That's not to say I refuse to help anyone outside of that group, it's just that I don't feel obliged to. My position is perfectly normal and natural and probably shared by the majority of the Earths inhabitants. Global Altruism is the edge-case here.

The 19th century missionary analogy is that you believe you have a moral obligation to help everyone on planet earth. Whether you have religious motivations or not is beside the point.

[ximeng]

Personally kind of bothers me that we live in a world where people are left to die from starvation and easily preventable disease. Understandable as it may be why that's the case.

[angry-hacker]

You could give away 90% of your salary, still survive and save so many lives. You need to lower your standards, you can do it right now, the question is why? - because you don't care about those lives.

[ximeng]

Not necessarily - Bill G wasn't giving a whole bunch of money away on the way up. It can be rational to look after yourself first before looking after others even if you care about them. I don't think it's as binary as you make out. Certainly I feel the parent saying they don't care about people beyond their immediate circle doesn't reflect my feelings, which are rather more complicated on the subject.

[angry-hacker]

I'm just saying you can make a comparison like that. From this day eat only basic food, never restaurants, you get every nutrition neccessary cheap. No cinema, no new electronics or toys. People in West have everything they need. All the money donate directly to people in need in third world countries. You CAN save hundreds of lives living that kind of lifestyle, so my question for you is why not do it? It's theoretical but you get the point. Shows "we don't care" everyone and have hundreds of excuses for it.

[ximeng]

Yes obviously you can do that, but I disagree with the conclusion that you don't care about everyone. Clearly people don't care that much, but there is a difference between that and not caring at all.