ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a clarification of 'humanitarian morality'. Whatever principles to the category of humanitarian morality, it suggests that their fundamental character places them at the very heart of morality. It is this feature that makes selectivity in engaging with them so troubling. Characterized thus, morality would not allow selectivity insofar as we would be said to have no choice not to follow its negative strictures. But all that humanitarian morality could then demand of us is that we do not ourselves directly act to compromise the fundamental human rights of others. The chapter suggests that imperfect obligations are generated when humanitarian morality goes unrespected in terms of a generalized, or universalized, responsibility to be concerned with those members of the human community suffering the worst of plights. Various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are thus unlikely to be decisive in the process of converting imperfect into perfect obligations.
