THIS book is arguably one of the most important and worthy to be published in recent memory.
Internationally renowned Melbourne philosopher Peter Singer, well known for his stance on animal ethics, outlines why we all have a moral responsibility to give money to help solve world poverty.
- The life you can save: Acting now to end world poverty, by Peter Singer. Text Publishing, rrp $24.95
"According to the World Bank, 1.4 billion people live on less than US$1.25 per day. This entails a vast amount of suffering and avoidable loss of life," Singer writes.
He does not argue for sainthood or self-sacrifice, but he does urge anyone who can afford a bottle of water - a luxury available free from the tap - to give generously.
In four chapters he takes on every argument ever posed to justify not giving, how a culture of giving can be created and, importantly, which charities do it best, who you can trust.
Australians showed in last month's bushfire devastation and the 2004 tsunami that we have big hearts.
Even the publishers of the book - Text Publishing - are giving a percentage of their takings from the book's sale to charity.
Singer says this same spirit can be extended to those who suffer much greater deprivations - who die because of unsanitary water or lack of nutrition - and with considerably less government help.
The book is worthy and vitally important, but problematically Singer is most likely preaching to the converted: what uncharitable soul buys a book to learn about giving?
And it's just unfortunate it has been printed in the face of global belt-tightening.
Nelson Mandela famously said "sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that generation."
