George Gulliver bias towards myself . If upon doing this , I find a relevant difference in favour of painting my neighbour ’ s house , then Singer would claim that we are obligated to go next door and paint his house . At first glance , it may seem that this is in fact the right thing to do . It does seem like a very demanding ethical system and we may not live up to this standard very often , but it could be argued that we nonetheless ought to do it . However , upon closer inspection we can observe the echoes of the Christian doctrine of treating others as you would yourself , and with it the problems . In taking Singer ’ s claim seriously , which must be admitted few people do , then other people have an equal claim to my resources and energy as I do . As Cottingham states , before I sit down at my desk and begin revising for my exam , I must consider whether any of my neighbours are more deserving of my efforts in the completion of their projects . If I hear that he will be made happier in the completion of his projects than I will upon completing mine , I must sacrifice my sleep and energy in making it so that he is
120 successful . In doing otherwise , Singer should not hasten to label me ‘ immoral ’. Bernard Williams argues against this approach in his critique of utilitarianism , stating that to base all actions on a weighing up of general welfare would be to “ alienate him in a real sense from his actions and the source of his action in his own convictions […] to neglect the extent to which his actions and his decisions have to be seen as the actions and decisions which flow from the projects and the attitudes with which he is most closely identified . It is thus in the most literal sense an attack on his integrity ”. What Williams is emphasising is the idea that ceasing action from yourself and for yourself is to cease being human . It is a sacrifice of human integrity and individuality .
Williams ’ points about human integrity and individuality extend much further than merely pursuing what is good for yourself . It is still the case that in some cases we ought to discriminate based only on characteristics that are unrelated to the moral issue being considered , these