Abstract
This article analyzes Peter Singer and Onora O’Neill’s conceptions of poverty relief. To achieve this purpose, possible ways of understanding poverty are presented, followed by a comparation of the authors’ views. Singer’s arguments are examined in the light of his preference utilitarianism aiming to understand the development of his theory and the elaboration of effective altruism. The review of O’Neill’s theory, in turn, is based on Kantian ethics, an approach the author is affiliated, and based on the need to establish duties for the alleviation of poverty. In the final considerations, the article makes a critical comparison between the two conceptions examined.
Keywords:
Deontological ethics; Utilitarianism; Poverty; Beneficence.