Feinberg Duties Of Charity Summary

Charity does exist, but not in the sense which Feinberg speaks of it. Feinberg speaks about “duties of charity,” but this is where Feinberg errs. While there certainly is such a thing as charity there is no such thing as a duty to be charitable. Inserting a legal duty into the equation nullifies any charitable action. For instance, if the government taxes me to take care of the poor this is not charitable. The government taxing me and later distributing my coerced contribution in a noble way is of no credit to me. Paying taxes is to fulfil a legal duty, but can never be construed to being in any way “charitable.”

To be truly considered charity it must be voluntary at least from a legal standpoint. This is not to say a person either because