Demandingness can apply to objective claims as well. “There is a storm coming that will destroy everything”. The fact that stuff exists now makes such a storm less likely; not impossible but certainly evidence against a storm of that severity. Existence can’t be so hard as to preclude life, we really did catch a break. The anthropic principle seems directly analogous to what you are getting at.
Many people believe ethics is situated. Just as knowledge is known by someone, moral acts are done by someone and towards some end. The fact that, on the margin today, you can pay a charity to help save lives does not change the need at its base level. It is kind of weird to care as much about people you will never meet as your friends and family or even your mere neighbors. Current mainstream philosophy may agree with you but the public at large remains unconvinced.
Budgetary demands for all available resources really are different in kind than budgetary demands to be included for consideration at all. Something that can claim all available resources closes off all other values being traded against. If human lives are the only thing that matters, better not donate to the EFF. Is it unethical to care about an open internet? Being underfunded is better than being not funded at all. Once something garners no resources, whether that is time or capital, the capacity dies outright.
Good consequentialism may want to consider how things have actually played out historically. Prosperity has not come by making man a more generous animal. On the contrary modern technology seems to require a market for toys or novelty. Cell phones for jet setting egotists in the 80’s have done more to liberate today’s global south than any amount of charity dollars. It is even arguable if an agrarian society was to maximize on alms for all, they may indefinitely forestall an industrial revolution, immiserating the generations to come for present comforts.
Demandingness can apply to objective claims as well. “There is a storm coming that will destroy everything”. The fact that stuff exists now makes such a storm less likely; not impossible but certainly evidence against a storm of that severity. Existence can’t be so hard as to preclude life, we really did catch a break. The anthropic principle seems directly analogous to what you are getting at.
Many people believe ethics is situated. Just as knowledge is known by someone, moral acts are done by someone and towards some end. The fact that, on the margin today, you can pay a charity to help save lives does not change the need at its base level. It is kind of weird to care as much about people you will never meet as your friends and family or even your mere neighbors. Current mainstream philosophy may agree with you but the public at large remains unconvinced.
Budgetary demands for all available resources really are different in kind than budgetary demands to be included for consideration at all. Something that can claim all available resources closes off all other values being traded against. If human lives are the only thing that matters, better not donate to the EFF. Is it unethical to care about an open internet? Being underfunded is better than being not funded at all. Once something garners no resources, whether that is time or capital, the capacity dies outright.
Good consequentialism may want to consider how things have actually played out historically. Prosperity has not come by making man a more generous animal. On the contrary modern technology seems to require a market for toys or novelty. Cell phones for jet setting egotists in the 80’s have done more to liberate today’s global south than any amount of charity dollars. It is even arguable if an agrarian society was to maximize on alms for all, they may indefinitely forestall an industrial revolution, immiserating the generations to come for present comforts.