Bob Bugatti

The story of Bob Bugatti is another "ethical scenario" from Peter Singer's book "One World." With this imaginary analogy, he asks why people in the developed world do not feel compelled to spend more on overseas development assistance. He describes a man named Bob Bugatti, who has sunk his life savings into a fancy antique Bugatti automobile, which he is unable to insure. Bob knows that the value of the car is appreciating and that he will be able to sell it for a high price someday and live comfortably after retirment. One day Bob goes out for a drive in his Bugatti and decides to go for a walk, while parking the car near a disused railroad siding. But as he walks along the track, he sees a runaway train heading towards a little boy playing in a tunnel and very likely to be killed by the runaway train. Bob cannot stop the train or warn the child. The ONLY thing he can do is throw a switch and divert the train down the unused siding, which of course, will result in the destruction of his uninsured Bugatti. thinking of his joy in owning the car, and the financial security it represents, Bob decides not to throw the switch. The child is killed.
However, for many years to come, Bob enjoys owning his Bugatti and the financial security it represents.
"Bob's conduct, most of us will immediately respond, was gravely wrong," he continues.
But then he reports that for about $200 a year, the life of one of the millions of poor children in the developing world can be easily saved through immunizations, better nutrition, and so on. So he asks: are not all citizens in the developed world, who could surely sacrifice $200 a year to save at least one child, as morally reprehensible as Bob if they do not make such a contribution and/or support the political will of their governments to do so?
well, I think this might be a very extreme example and as many of my classmates said, the difference is that Bob can see the result of his action, where giving money can sometimes be a tricky business for many. But still, I think Singer's analogies are a great way to get people thinking about these issues, which are sometimes very easy to forget in our busy, daily lifes....So think about it...