Some moral philosophers argue that spending some of your resources—without significantly affecting your financial stability—to help other people who badly suffer is our moral duty and not merely a matter of charity. Justify this claim by explaining the distinction between duty and charity.
What the examiner wants
Justify why severe preventable suffering can create moral obligation when the personal sacrifice is modest, and distinguish duty from optional generosity.
Demand-wise check
- 1Duty as morally required conduct; charity as traditionally supererogatory/voluntary≈30 words
- 2Small-sacrifice versus severe-harm argument for obligation≈30 words
- 3Limits: competing duties, effectiveness, sustainability and knowledge/proximity≈30 words
- 4Why some giving can cross from admirable charity into moral duty≈30 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
Where marks usually go
- Equating moral duty with legal compulsion
- Claiming one must give until personal impoverishment despite the question’s qualifier
Value addition
- Duty threshold continuum: optional generosity→moral obligation
→ Draw it in the body, next to the point it supports.
Official source anchors
These are authoritative sources selected for this exact PYQ. Where a card is an official-domain anchor rather than a fact-level citation, verify the precise provision, definition or data point on the linked source before using it.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 7 minutes, then get it checked.