Study Questions

Singer Discrimination Lecture

1.) Why does Singer think we need to develop an adequate theory of the immorality of racial discrimination?

2.) What is the irrelevancy/arbitrariness argument that racial discrimination is immoral?

3.) What does Singer think is wrong with the irrelevancy/arbitrariness argument?

4.) Describe the three cases of seemingly relevant/non-arbitrary discrimination that Singer considers?

5.) How might one argue that the first (director) case is the same morally as the second and third cases? 

6.) What does Singer think ultimately differentiates the first from the second and third cases?

7.) What reasons beyond irrelevancy/arbitrariness make racial discrimination wrong according to Singer?

8.) According to Singer, what principle can motivate prohibiting racial discrimination even in cases where the discrimination is relevant/non-arbitrary?