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Watch part two
There seems to be no sign of respite from the ongoing global economic crisis as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned on Tuesday that the world economy will likely contract this year in a "Great Recession".
The IMF expects global growth to slow below zero this year, the worst performance in most of our lifetimes according to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the IMF managing director, who also called on the international community not to forget Africa.
But while purse strings are being tightened, Peter Singer, the Australian-born author and philosopher, says it is more important now than ever before to be asking ourselves "what should I be doing to help?"
In his book, The Life You Can Save, Singer uses ethical arguments, provocative thought experiments, examples and case studies of charitable giving to show that our current response to world poverty is not only insufficient but ethically indefensible.
Nearly ten million children die unnecessarily each year, and he argues that instead of turning our backs to that problem, we must become a part of the solution.
He also contends that giving will make a huge difference in the lives of others without diminishing the quality of our own lives.
On Wednesday, Riz speaks to the controversial author and philosopher Peter Singer about how individuals can help fight global poverty and his thoughts on living an ethical life.
This episode of the Riz Khan show aired from Wednesday, March 11, 2009.
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