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Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter
Peter Singer is often described as the world’s most influential philosopher. He is also one of its most controversial. The author of important books such as Animal Liberation, Practical Ethics, Rethinking Life and Death, and The Life You Can Save, he helped launch the animal rights and effective altruism movements and contributed to the development of bioethics. Now, in Ethics in the Real World, Singer shows that he is also a master at dissecting important current events in a few hundred words.
In this book of brief essays, he applies his controversial ways of thinking to issues like climate change, extreme poverty, animals, abortion, euthanasia, human genetic selection, sports doping, the sale of kidneys, the ethics of high-priced art, and ways of increasing happiness. Singer asks whether chimpanzees are people, smoking should be outlawed, or consensual sex between adult siblings should be decriminalized, and he reiterates his case against the idea that all human life is sacred, applying his arguments to some recent cases in the news. In addition, he explores, in an easily accessible form, some of the deepest philosophical questions, such as whether anything really matters and what is the value of the pale blue dot that is our planet. The collection also includes some more personal reflections, like Singer’s thoughts on one of his favorite activities, surfing, and an unusual suggestion for starting a family conversation over a holiday feast.
Provocative and original, these essays will challenge—and possibly change—your beliefs about a wide range of real-world ethical questions.
336 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2016
About the author
Peter Singer
155 books8,834 followersPeter Singer is sometimes called "the world’s most influential living philosopher" although he thinks that if that is true, it doesn't say much for all the other living philosophers around today. He has also been called the father (or grandfather?) of the modern animal rights movement, even though he doesn't base his philosophical views on rights, either for humans or for animals.
In 2005 Time magazine named Singer one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute ranked him 3rd among Global Thought Leaders for 2013. (He has since slipped to 36th.) He is known especially for his work on the ethics of our treatment of animals, for his controversial critique of the sanctity of life doctrine in bioethics, and for his writings on the obligations of the affluent to aid those living in extreme poverty.
Singer first became well-known internationally after the publication of Animal Liberation in 1975. In 2011 Time included Animal Liberation on its “All-TIME” list of the 100 best nonfiction books published in English since the magazine began, in 1923. Singer has written, co-authored, edited or co-edited more than 50 books, including Practical Ethics; The Expanding Circle; How Are We to Live?, Rethinking Life and Death, The Ethics of What We Eat (with Jim Mason), The Point of View of the Universe (with Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek), The Most Good You Can Do, Ethics in the Real World and Utilitarianism: A Very Short Introduction. His works have appeared in more than 30 languages.
Singer’s book The Life You Can Save, first published in 2009, led him to found a non-profit organization of the same name. In 2019, Singer got back the rights to the book and granted them to the organization, enabling it to make the eBook and audiobook versions available free from its website, www.thelifeyoucansave.org.
Peter Singer was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1946, and educated at the University of Melbourne and the University of Oxford. After teaching in England, the United States and Australia, he has, since 1999, been Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics in the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University. He is married, with three daughters and four grandchildren. His recreations include hiking and surfing. In 2012 he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia, the nation’s highest civic honour.
In 2005 Time magazine named Singer one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute ranked him 3rd among Global Thought Leaders for 2013. (He has since slipped to 36th.) He is known especially for his work on the ethics of our treatment of animals, for his controversial critique of the sanctity of life doctrine in bioethics, and for his writings on the obligations of the affluent to aid those living in extreme poverty.
Singer first became well-known internationally after the publication of Animal Liberation in 1975. In 2011 Time included Animal Liberation on its “All-TIME” list of the 100 best nonfiction books published in English since the magazine began, in 1923. Singer has written, co-authored, edited or co-edited more than 50 books, including Practical Ethics; The Expanding Circle; How Are We to Live?, Rethinking Life and Death, The Ethics of What We Eat (with Jim Mason), The Point of View of the Universe (with Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek), The Most Good You Can Do, Ethics in the Real World and Utilitarianism: A Very Short Introduction. His works have appeared in more than 30 languages.
Singer’s book The Life You Can Save, first published in 2009, led him to found a non-profit organization of the same name. In 2019, Singer got back the rights to the book and granted them to the organization, enabling it to make the eBook and audiobook versions available free from its website, www.thelifeyoucansave.org.
Peter Singer was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1946, and educated at the University of Melbourne and the University of Oxford. After teaching in England, the United States and Australia, he has, since 1999, been Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics in the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University. He is married, with three daughters and four grandchildren. His recreations include hiking and surfing. In 2012 he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia, the nation’s highest civic honour.
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June 16, 2017
Posted at Heradas Review
A wonderful collection of short essays, aimed toward every day people. Each designed to introduce some difficult ethical questions to those that may have never been forced to confront them in their day-to-day lives.
The only failure of this book is, in retrospect, actually a success, it being inherent to the function of what the book set out to achieve; the essays are too brief, and as a result, often too black and white. The author, a utilitarian, undoubtedly understood that this was unavoidable, and chose to sacrifice a more complete, complex examination of each ethical quandary, in favor of reaching those most likely in need of asking these questions, by keeping the essays concise and to the point. Easily digestible in a few minutes. Demonstrably, this could be seen as the more ethical choice according to utilitarianism, and with it Peter Singer has shown how legitimate his commitment to living an ethical life really is.
The essays really are perfect for reading while you're waiting in line at a bank, or waiting to meet some friends at a restaurant, etc. Bite size big questions about the world and how we fit into, both as a species, and individually. And you can read them whenever you have a spare 3-4 minutes. It's fantastic!
Since finishing this collection, I've started following Singer online and reading his essays, published fairly frequently on Project Syndicate and various other websites. They're all very insightful, and bring up all kinds of fun questions and dilemmas to ponder. I think it's good for us to have to think occasionally about things that might make us uncomfortable. It helps to free us of our various cages, protective barriers, ideologies, and comfort zones that we've constructed around ourselves over the years. It's good to stretch those bonds at least a little, so we can test them and see if they're still useful.
A wonderful collection of short essays, aimed toward every day people. Each designed to introduce some difficult ethical questions to those that may have never been forced to confront them in their day-to-day lives.
The only failure of this book is, in retrospect, actually a success, it being inherent to the function of what the book set out to achieve; the essays are too brief, and as a result, often too black and white. The author, a utilitarian, undoubtedly understood that this was unavoidable, and chose to sacrifice a more complete, complex examination of each ethical quandary, in favor of reaching those most likely in need of asking these questions, by keeping the essays concise and to the point. Easily digestible in a few minutes. Demonstrably, this could be seen as the more ethical choice according to utilitarianism, and with it Peter Singer has shown how legitimate his commitment to living an ethical life really is.
The essays really are perfect for reading while you're waiting in line at a bank, or waiting to meet some friends at a restaurant, etc. Bite size big questions about the world and how we fit into, both as a species, and individually. And you can read them whenever you have a spare 3-4 minutes. It's fantastic!
Since finishing this collection, I've started following Singer online and reading his essays, published fairly frequently on Project Syndicate and various other websites. They're all very insightful, and bring up all kinds of fun questions and dilemmas to ponder. I think it's good for us to have to think occasionally about things that might make us uncomfortable. It helps to free us of our various cages, protective barriers, ideologies, and comfort zones that we've constructed around ourselves over the years. It's good to stretch those bonds at least a little, so we can test them and see if they're still useful.
March 10, 2020
منذ فترة شاهدت سلسلة "العدالة" - Justice التي أعدّتها جامعة هارفارد وأُغرمت بها. السلسلة عبارة عن مجموعة من الحلقات، في كل حلقة منها يطرح البروفيسور "مايكل ساندل" قضية شائكة للنقاش، وعلى الطلبة الحاضرين الانخراط في مناقشة لإبداء آرائهم بخصوص هذه القضية، بين مؤيد ومعارض، وكل منهم يملك رأيه وحجته الخاصة.
هذا الكتاب مشابه تمامًا لسلسلة العدالة، قضايا أخلاقية تحتمل إجابات كثيرة، وكل إجابة منها تحوي جانبًا من الحقيقة/الصواب.
قضايا مثل "الإجهاض"، "حقوق الإنسان"، "القتل الرحيم" وغيرها من القضايا المهمة.
لغة الكتاب سهلة وبسيطة جدًا، استطاع الكاتب من خلالها إيصال وجهة نظره بأكبر قدر ممكن من الإيجاز دون أن يفقد بلاغته.
هذا الكتاب مشابه تمامًا لسلسلة العدالة، قضايا أخلاقية تحتمل إجابات كثيرة، وكل إجابة منها تحوي جانبًا من الحقيقة/الصواب.
قضايا مثل "الإجهاض"، "حقوق الإنسان"، "القتل الرحيم" وغيرها من القضايا المهمة.
لغة الكتاب سهلة وبسيطة جدًا، استطاع الكاتب من خلالها إيصال وجهة نظره بأكبر قدر ممكن من الإيجاز دون أن يفقد بلاغته.
November 28, 2017
The book consists of short essays from one of the most eminent philosophers of our age. The book title Ethics in the Real World is a little misleading because there are in fact essays on a range of topics: from Godless morality to New Year's resolution. As each essay is only a few pages and written in clear and understandable prose, it gives good introductions on major topics.
The problem, however, is that sometimes the essays are so short that it gives no justice to Singer's thought. I have read his essay on donation during a philosophy course and know that he is capable of making a nuanced argument. Here, brevity forces him to make statements that almost sound like mere platitude. He says, for example, that emission of greenhouse is bad and therefore we should stop it, or that we should have more global governance and less secret diplomacy.
The real gem is still Singer's views on ethics and morality. We see how he consistently applies his utilitarian outlook on ethical issues. He disagrees donating to a museum to build a new wing because the same sum can benefit the poor children in third world countries much more than the aesthetic experiences derived from a new wing. The same also applies in buying high-price art because the money used to buy art can save millions of children. The other interesting essays are on animal rights. Singer does not disagree with meat eating per se. He simply disagrees in causing great pain and suffering of the animals incurred as a result of meat eating.
The problem, however, is that sometimes the essays are so short that it gives no justice to Singer's thought. I have read his essay on donation during a philosophy course and know that he is capable of making a nuanced argument. Here, brevity forces him to make statements that almost sound like mere platitude. He says, for example, that emission of greenhouse is bad and therefore we should stop it, or that we should have more global governance and less secret diplomacy.
The real gem is still Singer's views on ethics and morality. We see how he consistently applies his utilitarian outlook on ethical issues. He disagrees donating to a museum to build a new wing because the same sum can benefit the poor children in third world countries much more than the aesthetic experiences derived from a new wing. The same also applies in buying high-price art because the money used to buy art can save millions of children. The other interesting essays are on animal rights. Singer does not disagree with meat eating per se. He simply disagrees in causing great pain and suffering of the animals incurred as a result of meat eating.
April 8, 2022
Recommendation by Ekaterina Shulman
When voting is voluntary and it is extremely unlikely that the voice of one particular person is able to decide something, when this logic takes hold of the minds, keeping too many from voting, the future of the country is in the hands of a minority.
Professor Peter Singer of Princeton and Melbourne Universities is in the top five of the list of one hundred most influential global thinkers of our time. The rating of the Duttweiler Institute is based on three main characteristics: an intellectual by his main occupation; 2. known outside his subject area; 3. has an impact on the world around him.
Among other things, the number of subscribers in networks, citation, frequency of mentions in cross-references are taken into account. It is not surprising that we, in the Russian-speaking space, practically do not know him. But the predominantly English-speaking world treats Singer with great respect.
The field of his research is bioethics - yes, there is such a direction at the intersection of philosophy, jurisprudence and natural sciences, affecting many topical issues in today's world: euthanasia, organ transplantation, cloning, artificial abortion, surrogacy, eugenics, the permissibility of sex in sibling relationships. Among other things, informed voluntary consent, one of the points of which states that the collective agreement of the company, or the consent of the leader of the company, or the authority does not replace the consent of an individual.
The utilitarian Singer consistently adheres to the views according to which the moral value of a behavior or act is determined by its usefulness to all affected parties. From these positions, all the articles that make up the book "About things really important" are written, and it is compiled from more than eighty articles written at different times for publications with which the author collaborates and combined into eleven sections.
A fairly small volume - about three hundred pages, the book, therefore, each of its constituent texts is read quickly, and if the topic does not affect your interests, you can read it by making a note to yourself when and if there is a need for a qualified assessment, you know where to go back. Yes, it may seem that in most cases, this does not tremble too vividly: it seems like the ban on abortions concerns women of childbearing age, the right to euthanasia is terminally ill, people experiencing hellish torments. In either case, that's not all.
But we all consume animal products. One way or another, we face a choice: to help those in need or to direct all our energy only to satisfy our needs? We want to be happy. We choose the government, for whose actions we have to pay.
The book offers balanced, sound, rational reflections on a variety of issues. and, more importantly, draft solutions that you can agree or disagree with, but it's definitely worth getting acquainted with.
Рекомендация Екатерины Шульман
Когда голосование добровольно и крайне маловероятно, что голос одного конкретного человека способен что-то решить, когда эта логика овладевает умами, удерживая от голосования слишком многих, будущее страны оказывается в руках меньшинства.
Профессор Принстонского и Мельбурнского университетов Питер Сингер в верхней пятерке списка ста наиболее влиятельных глобальных мыслителей современности. Рейтинг института Дуттвайлера основывается на трех основных характеристиках: интеллектуал по основному роду занятий; 2. известный за пределами своей предметной области; 3. оказывает влияние на окружающий мир.
Среди прочего, учитывается количество подписчиков в сетях, цитируемость, частота упоминаний в перекрестных ссылках. Неудивительно, что мы, в русскоязычном пространстве, практически его не знаем. Но мир, преимущественно англоговорящий, относится к Сингеру с большим уважением.
Область его исследований биоэтика - да, есть такое направление на стыке философии, юриспруденции и естественных наук, затрагивающее множество актуальных в сегодняшнем мире вопросов: эвтаназия, пересадка органов, клонирование, искусственный аборт, суррогатное материнство, евгеника, допустимость секса в сиблинговых отношениях. В числе прочего, информированное добровольное согласие, один из пунктов которого гласит, что коллективное соглашение общества, или согласие лидера общества, или органа власти не подменяет согласие отдельного человека.
Утилитарист Сингер последовательно придерживается взглядов, согласно которым, моральная ценность поведения или поступка определяется его полезностью для всех затрагиваемых сторон. С этих позиций написаны все статьи, составляющие книгу "О вещах действительно важных", а она собрана из более, чем восьмидесяти, статей, написанных в разное время для изданий, с которыми автор сотрудничает и объединенных в одиннадцать разделов.
Достаточно небольшого объема - около трехсот страниц, книга, следовательно каждый из составляющих ее текстов читается быстро, и в случае, если тема не затрагивает ваших интересов, можно прочесть, сделав себе заметку, когда и если возникнет необходимость в квалифицированной оценке, вы знаете, куда вернуться. Да, может показаться, что в большинстве случаев, это и не трепещет чересчур живо: вроде как, запрет на аборты касается женщин детородного возраста, право на эвтаназию - смертельно больных, людей, испытывающих адские муки. В том и другом случае, это не все.
Но продукты животноводства потребляем мы все. Так или иначе, встаем перед выбором: помочь нуждающимся или направить всю энергию только на удовлетворение своих нужд? Хотим быть счастливыми. Выбираем правительство, за действия которого приходится расплачиваться.
Книга предлагает взвешенные, здравые, рациональные размышления по множеству вопросов. и, что важнее - проекты решений, с которыми можно соглашаться или не соглашаться, но познакомиться, определенно, стоит.
When voting is voluntary and it is extremely unlikely that the voice of one particular person is able to decide something, when this logic takes hold of the minds, keeping too many from voting, the future of the country is in the hands of a minority.
Professor Peter Singer of Princeton and Melbourne Universities is in the top five of the list of one hundred most influential global thinkers of our time. The rating of the Duttweiler Institute is based on three main characteristics: an intellectual by his main occupation; 2. known outside his subject area; 3. has an impact on the world around him.
Among other things, the number of subscribers in networks, citation, frequency of mentions in cross-references are taken into account. It is not surprising that we, in the Russian-speaking space, practically do not know him. But the predominantly English-speaking world treats Singer with great respect.
The field of his research is bioethics - yes, there is such a direction at the intersection of philosophy, jurisprudence and natural sciences, affecting many topical issues in today's world: euthanasia, organ transplantation, cloning, artificial abortion, surrogacy, eugenics, the permissibility of sex in sibling relationships. Among other things, informed voluntary consent, one of the points of which states that the collective agreement of the company, or the consent of the leader of the company, or the authority does not replace the consent of an individual.
The utilitarian Singer consistently adheres to the views according to which the moral value of a behavior or act is determined by its usefulness to all affected parties. From these positions, all the articles that make up the book "About things really important" are written, and it is compiled from more than eighty articles written at different times for publications with which the author collaborates and combined into eleven sections.
A fairly small volume - about three hundred pages, the book, therefore, each of its constituent texts is read quickly, and if the topic does not affect your interests, you can read it by making a note to yourself when and if there is a need for a qualified assessment, you know where to go back. Yes, it may seem that in most cases, this does not tremble too vividly: it seems like the ban on abortions concerns women of childbearing age, the right to euthanasia is terminally ill, people experiencing hellish torments. In either case, that's not all.
But we all consume animal products. One way or another, we face a choice: to help those in need or to direct all our energy only to satisfy our needs? We want to be happy. We choose the government, for whose actions we have to pay.
The book offers balanced, sound, rational reflections on a variety of issues. and, more importantly, draft solutions that you can agree or disagree with, but it's definitely worth getting acquainted with.
Рекомендация Екатерины Шульман
Когда голосование добровольно и крайне маловероятно, что голос одного конкретного человека способен что-то решить, когда эта логика овладевает умами, удерживая от голосования слишком многих, будущее страны оказывается в руках меньшинства.
Профессор Принстонского и Мельбурнского университетов Питер Сингер в верхней пятерке списка ста наиболее влиятельных глобальных мыслителей современности. Рейтинг института Дуттвайлера основывается на трех основных характеристиках: интеллектуал по основному роду занятий; 2. известный за пределами своей предметной области; 3. оказывает влияние на окружающий мир.
Среди прочего, учитывается количество подписчиков в сетях, цитируемость, частота упоминаний в перекрестных ссылках. Неудивительно, что мы, в русскоязычном пространстве, практически его не знаем. Но мир, преимущественно англоговорящий, относится к Сингеру с большим уважением.
Область его исследований биоэтика - да, есть такое направление на стыке философии, юриспруденции и естественных наук, затрагивающее множество актуальных в сегодняшнем мире вопросов: эвтаназия, пересадка органов, клонирование, искусственный аборт, суррогатное материнство, евгеника, допустимость секса в сиблинговых отношениях. В числе прочего, информированное добровольное согласие, один из пунктов которого гласит, что коллективное соглашение общества, или согласие лидера общества, или органа власти не подменяет согласие отдельного человека.
Утилитарист Сингер последовательно придерживается взглядов, согласно которым, моральная ценность поведения или поступка определяется его полезностью для всех затрагиваемых сторон. С этих позиций написаны все статьи, составляющие книгу "О вещах действительно важных", а она собрана из более, чем восьмидесяти, статей, написанных в разное время для изданий, с которыми автор сотрудничает и объединенных в одиннадцать разделов.
Достаточно небольшого объема - около трехсот страниц, книга, следовательно каждый из составляющих ее текстов читается быстро, и в случае, если тема не затрагивает ваших интересов, можно прочесть, сделав себе заметку, когда и если возникнет необходимость в квалифицированной оценке, вы знаете, куда вернуться. Да, может показаться, что в большинстве случаев, это и не трепещет чересчур живо: вроде как, запрет на аборты касается женщин детородного возраста, право на эвтаназию - смертельно больных, людей, испытывающих адские муки. В том и другом случае, это не все.
Но продукты животноводства потребляем мы все. Так или иначе, встаем перед выбором: помочь нуждающимся или направить всю энергию только на удовлетворение своих нужд? Хотим быть счастливыми. Выбираем правительство, за действия которого приходится расплачиваться.
Книга предлагает взвешенные, здравые, рациональные размышления по множеству вопросов. и, что важнее - проекты решений, с которыми можно соглашаться или не соглашаться, но познакомиться, определенно, стоит.
September 3, 2017
I have come to respect Peter singer in recent years because of his contributions to the field of effective altruism, doing the most good possible with your financial contributions to charities. I decided to read this book because it was by Peter Singer. I was somewhat disappointed but I think that was more because I felt somewhat overwhelmed by one short op ad piece after another. I wasn't especially interested in all of the topics and didn't feel that Peter added a great deal to my thinking about many of them. Some of that was because I was familiar already with his thinking. And the last chapter that focused on various sports issues held very little interest for me. Although it was interesting to learn that Peter who is from Australia returned to surfing at the age of 50. Although the book is relatively recent many of the items go back a number of years and suffer as a result from a lack of current relevance. Peter is also evidently not a extremely popular or widely published op ed writer since the majority of items are from one particular source.
December 21, 2017
I agree with Singer that the op-ed provides a great medium for scholars to advance their thoughts because it forces them to make their language less complicated and their thoughts more succinct. Having said that, there was no real coherency to this book--no connecting tissue from one thought to the other. It didn't even seem like there was any order at all to the random essays. Having said that each essay was really thought-provoking and it was great to have them all in one place and read Singer trying to make sense of some of the biggest issues our society faces.
May 31, 2017
Ethics in the Real World is a collection of Singer's writings on a wide range of topics, ranging from vegetarianism and charitable giving to parenting and artificial lifeforms. The essays can be interesting and thought provoking. However, if one is at all knowledgeable about the subject matter, the author's views routinely come across as shockingly naive. He also writes as if his subjective value judgments were universal truths; they are not.
August 12, 2020
تلاقينا -أنا وهذا الكتاب- في المكتبة، لم أفكر مليًّا، اشتريته فورًا بعد قراءة عدّة مراجعات تُشيد بالكاتب والكتاب نفسه.
السنة على وشك الإنتهاء، ولم أدخل في دوامة الفتور التي تُرعبنا كقرّاء وتضيّع أوقاتنا، لكن هذا الكتاب أوشك على دفعي في تلك الدوامة.
لايُصلح لقارئ مبتدأ لأنّ أفكاره جنونية ومن الضروري أنّ يُقرأ بعقلية الناقد.
قرأت الكثير من المراجعات، لم أرَ مراجعة واحدة تذم الكتاب، ولذلك بتُّ أشك إن كان هذا الكتاب كتابًا جيّدًا ولكنه ليس لي، يحمل الكثير من الاختلافات الدينية والفكرية ولكن لا أنكر وجود عدّة مقالات لطيفة، وأساسًا منحت الكتاب نجمة بسببها فقط 🤓:
- قيمة النقطة الزرقاء الباهتة
- سعيدة رغم ذلك
- لماذا ندفع أكثر
May 30, 2017
This collection of essays is thought-provoking and at times, controversial. I was inspired to try veganism and dismayed by Singer's lack of appreciation for art and culture, which he consistently values below disease-prevention. Bunched by topic, the essays can be quite repetitive and are not ideal for road-trip listening. The book is better in small doses.
December 19, 2017
Dr. Singer is an instructor in bioethics at Princeton, which explains his relentlessly liberal viewpoint and thinly veiled contempt for religion, conservatives and basically everyone who does not agree with him. For an individual who supposedly has spent a lifetime developing the field of Bioethics, many of his arguments (they are in fact arguments, in support of his own opinions, not even-handed treatments of difficult questions) lack even a pretense of logical progression. As a physician who has dealt with many problems of bioethics in the REAL WORLD, not an ivory tower, I found myself identifying logical contradictions and failures that invalidated many of his opinions even before the full argument had been presented.
Some of Dr. Singer's more offensive arguments include (in paraphrase) that children born with Down syndrome or other disabilities should be put to death, that it is OK for doctors to unilaterally decide to kill nursing home residents with Alzheimer's disease, and that the U.S. health care system funding should be drastically cut to send aid to other countries, even if many persons then die here.
Even liberals who believe that socialism and complete governmental control over the lives of citizens are appropriate societal aims would find many things here to give them pause. Presumably the level of governmental control advocated in these pages would be OK, as long as HE were the one in charge. In short, the book is claptrap and I don't even know why it is on the library shelf.
Some of Dr. Singer's more offensive arguments include (in paraphrase) that children born with Down syndrome or other disabilities should be put to death, that it is OK for doctors to unilaterally decide to kill nursing home residents with Alzheimer's disease, and that the U.S. health care system funding should be drastically cut to send aid to other countries, even if many persons then die here.
Even liberals who believe that socialism and complete governmental control over the lives of citizens are appropriate societal aims would find many things here to give them pause. Presumably the level of governmental control advocated in these pages would be OK, as long as HE were the one in charge. In short, the book is claptrap and I don't even know why it is on the library shelf.
May 16, 2017
Australian philosopher and Stanford professor Peter Singer provides bite-sized food for thought in this collection of mini essays on various ethical issues, which was written with a general audience in mind. The essays are organized according to topic, covering everything from animal rights and euthanasia to charitable giving and politics.
As a teenager, these types of ethical questions were ones that I devoured endlessly. I lurked on online forums to discover different viewpoints and delighted in writing essays about controversial subjects. Now that I am out of school, there are fewer opportunities to intentionally explore these ideas. It seems that after a certain age, we stop questioning our beliefs and allow them to become immutably concrete. Ethics in the Real World was just the remedy I needed to refresh my opinions and perspective.
It’s obvious that Singer has what many would label as a “liberal” mindset when it comes to most issues. He is a pro-choice, vegan atheist. I tend to follow a similar slant, so perhaps confirmation bias is part of the reason I enjoyed this book, although the moments my beliefs were challenged were the most rewarding. Singer often dissects recent news stories as case studies and incorporates scientific evidence in his arguments, which definitely makes him more persuasive.
Here are some of the interesting moral quandaries I encountered:
+ Ethics are objective, rather than subjective. According to Singer, a universal truth exists. I’m not so sure about that claim myself, given that people can make equally convincing arguments about opposite sides of the same topic (e.g., infant euthanasia).
+ Ethics have a biological component. Singer says, “Like other psychological faculties of the mind, including language and mathematics, we are endowed with a moral faculty that guides our intuitive judgments of right and wrong.” This thought has crossed my mind before, but never has it been phrased so eloquently. The presence of innate morality, however, does not mean that we humans always follow our internal compass; we seem to have an equal propensity for violence and discrimination.
+ Morality pills could improve society. If morality has a genetic component, then we can manipulate negative impulses, as we already do with medications for mental illnesses. This reminds me that I really need to get around to reading A Clockwork Orange soon.
+ Everyone should go vegan. I think I’d be a vegan if I didn’t grow up as a picky meat-eater. Singer’s arguments for veganism and animal rights are utterly convincing (ha, cow pun), but I’ll just have to wait around for the lab-created meat revolution before I reduce my animal cruelty and carbon footprint. What can I say? Humans are selfish.
+ There’s a tradeoff between cheap goods and ethical production. This is an unfortunate fact I’ve always been aware of. Recently, I came across a thread on Reddit about how a woman purportedly found a note from a Chinese slave worker in a purse at Walmart. People were heatedly discussing whether or not the consumer was obligated to uncover the source of their purchases and stop shopping at places that didn’t follow certain ethical standards. It’s exhausting to try and make sure every component of every product you buy has been ethically produced. Most Americans certainly want those who make our goods to be treated well, but I doubt many people would want to pay twice as much as a result, especially with how that would affect low-income populations. This is a topic I’d like to research further.
+ Extremely premature babies should be euthanized. This is one of Singer’s most controversial stances, but I’d have to say I agree with the points he makes. Singer essentially claims that certain lives are better lost, given their low chances of a healthy life, but I do not believe that means he would think it ethical for those who are currently disabled to be killed. It’s one of the messier subjects, and I’m sure he has better addressed it in his longer works. It reminds me of the moral dilemma that arose from two deaf parents wanting to have a deaf child—should disability be forced upon any person, and does anyone have the right to make that choice, one way or the other?
+ Physician-assisted suicide is legal in Canada. One might expect that physician-assisted suicide would increase as a result of its legalization, given familial or societal pressures, but it was heartening to hear this was not the case in countries where it has been legalized. The court case examples Singer provides solidified my support of voluntary euthanasia.
+ Should we legalize the organ trade? Singer states that 10% of kidneys used in transplants were purchased on the black market and that Singapore did not increase organ sales by offering a monetary incentive. Therefore, the concern that monetizing organ donations would lead to an increase in low-income individuals donating their organs is unfounded. I’d like to read more about the facts behind this.
+ In Australia, cigarettes are sold in generic packaging by law. This makes so much sense. Fuck you, cigarette companies. You’re just selling cancer. Not that alcohol companies are much better, mind you.
+ Donating to arts organizations and buying high-priced art is unethical. Singer makes a convincing argument, but I can just imagine how my local arts organizations would rankle at this notion. People enjoy donating to local causes because it improves their own community; they are trying to better the small world they live in, not the entire globe. Sure, their money would go farther and make more of an impact if it went to curing malaria in Africa, but that contains little personal relevance for most people. Individuals want to make an impact that is meaningful to themselves and their loved ones, and they shouldn’t be made to feel guilty about self-oriented altruism.
+ Do the rich have an ethical obligation to donate money to the poor? Singer would answer this question with a resounding “YES,” and he’s very judgmental about how people spend their money. We are all put into our current positions as a result of luck, but many people maintain or rise in affluence due to hard work. Where should we draw the line between what is given and what is earned? The world’s wealthiest individuals donate far more than the middle class could ever hope to achieve, so why can’t the rich donate money to prevent malaria and also buy a painting as a status symbol, if they so please?
+ Australia has compulsory voting. I’ve heard this factoid before, but I’d forgotten about it. As Singer mentions, voter turnout and gerrymandering are serious problems in the American political system. However, I didn’t quite understand Singer’s points about why having a separate executive branch is useless. I was also surprised to hear him say that partisan politics are worse in the US than everywhere else; I suppose I thought political divides were just as bad in other countries, given the number of global controversies and protests.
+ Holocaust denial is a crime in Austria. Although I agree with Singer that this law violates freedom of speech, I find that I’m more swayed by the ethos behind it. Holocaust deniers can rot in jail for all I care.
+ Should we honor racists? All of the historical details about Woodrow Wilson were fascinating and reminiscent of the ongoing debates about civil war monuments in the Southern US. Conservatives have held tight to the Confederate flag, which they view as a symbol of Southern pride, although it’s probably more of a reactionary measure against liberal outrage—it’s all about tribalism and identity politics, not a rational assessment of the issue. There have been calls all over the US to rename certain schools or buildings that honor historical figures with great accomplishments, but whose morals no longer align with those of the present age. As Singer says, “History is full of deeply flawed people who did great things.”
The Bottom Line: As you can see from my long list of bullet points, this book contained a lot of ideas worth dissecting. I look forward to reading more of Peter Singer’s work.
June 14, 2022
Singer is a fantastic writer and arguer. Have a lot of respect for his effort to make ethics accessibile.
Also, this was published in 2016, with some of the essays dating back to the early 2000s. Reading this is a post-Trump, covid world was a wee bit grim I will not lie
Also, this was published in 2016, with some of the essays dating back to the early 2000s. Reading this is a post-Trump, covid world was a wee bit grim I will not lie
December 5, 2018
A collection of thought-provoking essays on ethical issues that should concern every single one of us.
How can philosophy and ethics be valuable if they only raise questions that cannot be definitively answered? This thought always steered me away from philosophy – why are you sitting here thinking about these empty ideas when, instead, you can use this time to do something useful? I found an answer in this book: just like inventing new technologies, by thinking about and discussing things that matter, we can make this world a better place.
Too often do we neglect issues extremely important to humanity (animal abuse, poverty, the credibility of charities, universal internet access...) that perhaps don’t concern us directly. We acquiesce to the status quo. This book thoughtfully challenges some of these ideas and inspired me to view them in different ways. The world doesn’t have to be run this way – especially if you think it’s messed up – but it will continue to be if no one questions it.
Though categorical, Singer’s arguments are by no means abrasive. I admire his spirit of open discourse – he is assertive in his stance yet open to disagreement. His insightful essay on Harriet McBryde Johnson, a fervent and outspoken critic of his views on disability, demonstrates his respect and openness.
Singer’s simple and concise style allows the reader to understand and participate in these discussions without any background in theories of philosophy. I found this particularly enjoyable. In fact, he rarely mentions that he is utilitarian and never expounds complex theories. Instead, he just states – without pretensions – what he believes to be right, and why you should agree with him.
Indeed, discussions of these ever more important problems in our society should not be limited to the academic few that are well-versed in philosophy or the powerful few that dominate the political scene. These discussions should involve every one of us because we ALL share their consequences. It is our duty as citizens to think about these issues carefully and participate in these conversations – only this way can we bring about responsible change and steer humanity in the right direction.
How can philosophy and ethics be valuable if they only raise questions that cannot be definitively answered? This thought always steered me away from philosophy – why are you sitting here thinking about these empty ideas when, instead, you can use this time to do something useful? I found an answer in this book: just like inventing new technologies, by thinking about and discussing things that matter, we can make this world a better place.
Too often do we neglect issues extremely important to humanity (animal abuse, poverty, the credibility of charities, universal internet access...) that perhaps don’t concern us directly. We acquiesce to the status quo. This book thoughtfully challenges some of these ideas and inspired me to view them in different ways. The world doesn’t have to be run this way – especially if you think it’s messed up – but it will continue to be if no one questions it.
Though categorical, Singer’s arguments are by no means abrasive. I admire his spirit of open discourse – he is assertive in his stance yet open to disagreement. His insightful essay on Harriet McBryde Johnson, a fervent and outspoken critic of his views on disability, demonstrates his respect and openness.
Singer’s simple and concise style allows the reader to understand and participate in these discussions without any background in theories of philosophy. I found this particularly enjoyable. In fact, he rarely mentions that he is utilitarian and never expounds complex theories. Instead, he just states – without pretensions – what he believes to be right, and why you should agree with him.
Indeed, discussions of these ever more important problems in our society should not be limited to the academic few that are well-versed in philosophy or the powerful few that dominate the political scene. These discussions should involve every one of us because we ALL share their consequences. It is our duty as citizens to think about these issues carefully and participate in these conversations – only this way can we bring about responsible change and steer humanity in the right direction.
December 1, 2016
Excellent book that raises a lot of important questions that we are often uncomfortable to ask ourselves.
November 17, 2023
Mixed bag of ethical dilemmas presented in an accessible format. I consumed this as an audiobook and each subject took about five minutes to present and discuss, which isn't much - especially when you want to delve deeper into something. I do think this book is a good gateway into philosophy and/or ethics to get a good grasp of many different topics, but I think it works best as a physical book rather than an audiobook.
Shelved as 'dnfs'
December 8, 2017DNF at 68% - some of its arguments were engaging and thought-provoking (especially the ones on medical care), but for the most part I didn't really care for these essays. A lot of them felt obvious, and maybe that's because of the constraints of Singer's format. Personally, I thought the brevity of the essays robbed them of potential for nuance, and made them feel quite underwhelming at times. That being said, I'm deciding to DNF this because it simply isn't holding my attention right now. I'd rather not force myself to keep reading something just for the sake of finishing it.
March 4, 2020
أعتقد ده أول كتاب والكتاب الوحيد المترجم لبيتر سينجر.
كشخص مهتم بالفلسفة كان من الطبيعي إني أسمع عن بيتر سينجر الفيلسوف النفعي كتير، ولكن لعدم وجود ترجمة مكنش فيه نصيب إني أقراله، وهنا ييجي الفضل لدار الرافدين إنها ترجمت كتاب مهم زي ده علشان تتيح ليَّ الفرصة إني أقرا لشخص تم إختياره من ضمن أكتر 5 شخصيات مؤثرة في العالم (اللي كان من ضمنهم 4 فلاسفة زي ما ذكر سينجر نفسه في الكتاب كنوع من الكلام عن أهمية الفلسفة وتأثيرها اللي الناس بتتريق عليه).
الكتاب عبارة عن 86 مقالة بتناقش مواضيع كتيرة جدًا ومتشعبة في كل أنحاء حياتنا. كل كام مقالة محطوطين مع بعض تحت باب بإسم بيعبر عن المضمون العام للمقالات دي.
المقالات بتتكلم عن مشاكل أخلاقية كتيرة ولكن مش زي ما إتعودت دايماً، هي مرتبطة بحياتنا اليومية وبمشاكل حديثة مش مجرد عن الأخلاق في العموم. بتتكلم عن دور الأخلاق، الفلسفة، الأعمال الخيرية، أخلاقية التجارب الطبية، أخلاقية الإنجاب، النباتية، السياسة ومواضيع تانية كتيرة جدًا.
المقالات بتتراوح عدد صفحاتها ما بين ال4 وال5 صفحات، ما عدة مقالتين واحدة 3 وواحدة 7 صفحات، والمقالات مكتوبة ما بين عام 2001 لحد 2016 يعني مواضيع كلها جديدة ومعاصرة.
في النهاية الكتاب ده كان ممتع جدًا ومحستش بالزهق خالص، وأكيد فرض عين على كل واحد مهتم بالأخلاقيات بشكل خاص ومشاكل الحياة والعالم بشكل عام.
كشخص مهتم بالفلسفة كان من الطبيعي إني أسمع عن بيتر سينجر الفيلسوف النفعي كتير، ولكن لعدم وجود ترجمة مكنش فيه نصيب إني أقراله، وهنا ييجي الفضل لدار الرافدين إنها ترجمت كتاب مهم زي ده علشان تتيح ليَّ الفرصة إني أقرا لشخص تم إختياره من ضمن أكتر 5 شخصيات مؤثرة في العالم (اللي كان من ضمنهم 4 فلاسفة زي ما ذكر سينجر نفسه في الكتاب كنوع من الكلام عن أهمية الفلسفة وتأثيرها اللي الناس بتتريق عليه).
الكتاب عبارة عن 86 مقالة بتناقش مواضيع كتيرة جدًا ومتشعبة في كل أنحاء حياتنا. كل كام مقالة محطوطين مع بعض تحت باب بإسم بيعبر عن المضمون العام للمقالات دي.
المقالات بتتكلم عن مشاكل أخلاقية كتيرة ولكن مش زي ما إتعودت دايماً، هي مرتبطة بحياتنا اليومية وبمشاكل حديثة مش مجرد عن الأخلاق في العموم. بتتكلم عن دور الأخلاق، الفلسفة، الأعمال الخيرية، أخلاقية التجارب الطبية، أخلاقية الإنجاب، النباتية، السياسة ومواضيع تانية كتيرة جدًا.
المقالات بتتراوح عدد صفحاتها ما بين ال4 وال5 صفحات، ما عدة مقالتين واحدة 3 وواحدة 7 صفحات، والمقالات مكتوبة ما بين عام 2001 لحد 2016 يعني مواضيع كلها جديدة ومعاصرة.
في النهاية الكتاب ده كان ممتع جدًا ومحستش بالزهق خالص، وأكيد فرض عين على كل واحد مهتم بالأخلاقيات بشكل خاص ومشاكل الحياة والعالم بشكل عام.
May 30, 2022
Lots of different topics, some were normal (climate change, the responsibility of the rich to give to the poor), some were not (legalization of adult sibling incest, euthanasia for severely disabled infants with parents' consent) Singer asks that you treat all his ideas with an open mind and I liked how his more controversial ideas forced me to understand why I believed the things I do.
Most of the essays weren't as controversial or thought-provoking as I had liked. A good portion of the book is on climate change, inequality of wealth, and the equal treatment of animals. All very important topics! But tbh, I either agree with him or have heard those arguments before, so it wasn't super interesting. The best essays were the controversial ones, and they were only like half the book.
His writing style is very clear and concise, which I liked. However, it's not super fiery or poetic (like Nietzsche's) so although nothing was boring or dry, nothing leapt off the page either. The last essay on surfing was a lovely exception.
3.5
Most of the essays weren't as controversial or thought-provoking as I had liked. A good portion of the book is on climate change, inequality of wealth, and the equal treatment of animals. All very important topics! But tbh, I either agree with him or have heard those arguments before, so it wasn't super interesting. The best essays were the controversial ones, and they were only like half the book.
His writing style is very clear and concise, which I liked. However, it's not super fiery or poetic (like Nietzsche's) so although nothing was boring or dry, nothing leapt off the page either. The last essay on surfing was a lovely exception.
3.5
January 27, 2017
‘Peter Singer’s status as a man of principles and towering intellect—a philosopher extraordinaire, if you will—is unrivalled in Australia.’
Sydney Morning Herald
‘Peter Singer is a public intellectual par excellence.’
Monthly
‘Peter Singer may be the most controversial philosopher alive; he is certainly among the most influential.’
New Yorker
‘Lucidly conceived and written, the brief essays in Ethics in the Real World attest to Singer’s enduring facility for wise, clear-headed enquiry into some of the most pressing issues we face. It is not a manifesto for utilitarianism, but a convincing case for philosophy’s continued engagement with ethical questions that matter in the real world.’
Australian Book Review
‘I’d recommend Ethics in the Real World for reading at relaxed weekend breakfasts…These pieces are beaut conversation starters about topics of interest to everyone.’
ANZ LitLovers
Sydney Morning Herald
‘Peter Singer is a public intellectual par excellence.’
Monthly
‘Peter Singer may be the most controversial philosopher alive; he is certainly among the most influential.’
New Yorker
‘Lucidly conceived and written, the brief essays in Ethics in the Real World attest to Singer’s enduring facility for wise, clear-headed enquiry into some of the most pressing issues we face. It is not a manifesto for utilitarianism, but a convincing case for philosophy’s continued engagement with ethical questions that matter in the real world.’
Australian Book Review
‘I’d recommend Ethics in the Real World for reading at relaxed weekend breakfasts…These pieces are beaut conversation starters about topics of interest to everyone.’
ANZ LitLovers
March 31, 2018
This book will make you think about every single thing you do. It will also make you want to be a better person. This book will also make you want to be a deeper better thinker. Professor Singer does these things effortlessly in easy language George Orwell would approve of. He does it with humility, sincerity and brio. Everyone should have this on their bed side table ready to be absorbed nightly.
October 30, 2020
أستمتعت بالكتاب و المقالات و أسلوب الكتابة للكاتب بيتر سينغر لكن تعليقي الوحيد إن في بعض الأوقات كنت بحس إن الكاتب غير مثقف دينيًا و معندوش خلفية صحيحة عن أي ديانة من الديانات السماوية لكن في المطلق كان كتاب رائع و في مناقشة لمواضيع كتيرة مهمة
June 28, 2023
BRILLIANT!!!!!! So so so interesting- definitely worth a re-read. So easy to read and accessible, but would have been interesting to hear some more nuance in some arguments (although Singer acknowledges this is the consequences of a book of essays less than 1000 words each so like fair enough)
February 13, 2018
Jake and I listened to a couple essays in the car on a road trip which started some really good conversations. I want to discuss all 86 essays with someone on a road trip. That would be awesome.
April 9, 2020
2017.09.23–2017.09.26
Contents
Singer P (2016) (09:04) Ethics in the Real World - 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter
Introduction
Acknowledgments
Big Questions
01. The Value of a Pale Blue Dot (from Project Syndicate, May 14, 2009)
02. Does Anything Matter? (from Project Syndicate, June 13, 2011)
03. Is There Moral Progress? (from Project Syndicate, April 14, 2008)
04. God and Suffering, Again (from Free Inquiry, a publication of the Council for Secular Humanism, a program of the Center for Inquiry, October/
November 2008)
05. Godless Morality (with Marc Hauser) (from Project Syndicate, January 4, 2006)
06. Are We Ready for a “Morality Pill”? (with Agata Sagan) (from The New York Times, January 28, 2012)
07. The Quality of Mercy (from Project Syndicate, August 31, 2009)
08. Thinking about the Dead (from Free Inquiry, a publication of the Council for Secular Humanism, a program of the Center for Inquiry, Summer 2003)
09. Should This Be the Last Generation? (from The New York Times, June 6, 2010)
10. Philosophy on Top (from Project Syndicate, April 9, 2014)
11. We Must Nurture the Humanities (from the Sydney Morning Herald, July 27, 2009)
Animals
12. Europe’s Ethical Eggs (from Project Syndicate, January 17, 2012)
13. If Fish Could Scream (from Project Syndicate, September 13, 2010)
14. Cultural Bias against Whaling? (from Project Syndicate, January 14, 2008)
15. A Case for Veganism (from Free Inquiry, a publication of the Council for Secular Humanism, a program of the Center for Inquiry, April/May 2007)
16. Consider the Turkey: Thoughts for Thanksgiving (Not previously published)
17. In Vitro Meat (from The Guardian, August 5, 2013)
18. Chimpanzees Are People, Too (from New York Daily News, October 21, 2014)
19. The Cow Who . . . (from Project Syndicate, February 2016)
Beyond the Ethic of the Sanctity of Life
20. The Real Abortion Tragedy (from Project Syndicate, August 13, 2012)
21. Treating (or Not) the Tiniest Babies (from Free Inquiry, a publication of the Council for Secular Humanism, a program of the Center for Inquiry, June/July 2007)
22. Pulling Back the Curtain on the Mercy Killing of Newborns (from The Los Angeles Times, March 11, 2005)
23. No Diseases for Old Men (from Project Syndicate, March 14, 2008)
24. When Doctors Kill (from Project Syndicate, November 13, 2009)
25. Choosing Death (from Project Syndicate, September 9, 2014)
26. The Tide Is Turning in Australia’s Euthanasia Debate (from the Age, March 2, 2016)
Bioethics and Public Health
27. The Human Genome and the Genetic Supermarket (from Free Inquiry, a publication of the Council for Secular Humanism, a program of the Center for Inquiry, Winter 2001)
28. The Year of the Clone? (from Free Inquiry, a publication of the Council for Secular Humanism, a program of the Center for Inquiry, Summer 2001)
29. Kidneys for Sale? (from Project Syndicate, August 14, 2009)
30. We Have a Moral Obligation to Donate Organs (with Julian Savulescu and William Isdale) (from the Age, August 25, 2015)
31. The Many Crises of Health Care (from Project Syndicate, December 7, 2009)
32. Public Health versus Private Freedom? (from Project Syndicate, September 6, 2012)
33. Weigh More, Pay More (from Project Syndicate, March 12, 2012)
34. Should We Live to 1,000? (from Project Syndicate, December 10, 2012)
35. Population and the Pope (from Project Syndicate, February 11, 2015)
Sex and Gender
36. Should Adult Sibling Incest Be a Crime? (from Project Syndicate, October 8, 2014)
37. Homosexuality Is Not Immoral (from Project Syndicate, October 16, 2006)
38. Virtual Vices (from Project Syndicate, July 17, 2007)
39. A Private Affair? (from Project Syndicate, May 14, 2007)
40. How Much Should Sex Matter? (with Agata Sagan) (from Project Syndicate, April 13, 2012)
41. God and Woman in Iran (from Project Syndicate, October 11, 2012)
Doing Good
42. Australia Gives the World’s Poor Little More than Small Change (from the Age, February 18, 2010)
43. Holding Charities Accountable (from Project Syndicate, February 14, 2008)
44. Blatant Benevolence (from Project Syndicate, June 13, 2008)
45. Good Charity, Bad Charity (from The New York Times, August 10, 2013)
46. Heartwarming Causes Are Nice, but Let’s Give to Charity with Our Heads (from The Washington Post, December 19, 2013)
47. The Ethical Cost of High-Price Art (from Project Syndicate, June 4, 2014)
48. Preventing Human Extinction (with Nick Beckstead and Matt Wage) (from www.effective-altruism.com/ea/50/prev..., August 19, 2013)
Happiness
49. Happiness, Money, and Giving It Away (from Project Syndicate, July 12, 2006)
50. Can We Increase Gross National Happiness? (from Project Syndicate, September 13, 2011)
51. The High Cost of Feeling Low (from Project Syndicate, October 15, 2007)
52. No Smile Limit (from Project Syndicate, April 16, 2007)
53. Happy, Nevertheless (from The New York Times Magazine, December 28, 2008)
Politics
54. Bentham’s Fallacies, Then and Now (from Project Syndicate, August 12, 2015)
55. The Founding Fathers’ Fiscal Crisis (from Project Syndicate, October 2, 2013)
56. Why Vote? (from Project Syndicate, December 14, 2007)
57. Free Speech, Muhammad, and the Holocaust (from Project Syndicate, March 1, 2006)
58. The Use and Abuse of Religious Freedom (from Project Syndicate, June 11, 2012)
59. An Honest Man? (from Project Syndicate, July 30, 2003)
60. Is Citizenship a Right? (from Project Syndicate, May 6, 2014)
61. The Spying Game (from Project Syndicate, July 5, 2013)
62. A Statue for Stalin? (from Project Syndicate, January 9, 2014)
63. Should We Honor Racists? (from Project Syndicate, December 11, 2015)
Global Governance
64. Escaping the Refugee Crisis (from Project Syndicate, September 1, 2015)
65. Is Open Diplomacy Possible? (from Project Syndicate, December 13, 2010)
66. The Ethics of Big Food (from Project Syndicate, March 12, 2013)
67. Fairness and Climate Change (with Teng Fei) (from Project Syndicate, April 11, 2013)
68. Will the Polluters Pay for Climate Change? (from Project Syndicate, August 5, 2006)
69. Why Are They Serving Meat at a Climate Change Conference? (with Frances Kissling) (from The Washington Post, June 15, 2012)
70. Dethroning King Coal (from Project Syndicate, August 6, 2013)
71. Paris and the Fate of the Earth (from Project Syndicate, November 11, 2015)
Science and Technology
72. A Clear Case for Golden Rice (from Project Syndicate, February 17, 2014)
73. Life Made to Order (from Project Syndicate, June 11, 2010)
74. Rights for Robots? (with Agata Sagan) (from Project Syndicate, December 14, 2009)
75. A Dream for the Digital Age (from Project Syndicate, September 9, 2013)
76. A Universal Library (from Project Syndicate, April 13, 2011)
77. The Tragic Cost of Being Unscientific (from Project Syndicate, December 15, 2008)
Living, Playing, Working
78. Rootless, Voteless, but Happily Floating (with Renata Singer) (from the Age, December 26, 2004)
79. How to Keep a New Year’s Resolution (from Project Syndicate, January 4, 2010)
80. Why Pay More? (from Project Syndicate, May 9, 2013)
81. Tiger Mothers or Elephant Mothers? (from Project Syndicate, February 11, 2011)
82. Volkswagen and the Future of Honesty (from Project Syndicate, October 7, 2015)
83. Is Doping Wrong? (from Project Syndicate, August 14, 2007)
84. Is It OK to Cheat at Football? (from Project Syndicate, June 28, 2010)
85. A Surfing Reflection (from Project Syndicate, January 15, 2015)
86. Legacy of a Lifetime (from the Sydney Morning Herald, January 1, 2011)
Notes
Contents
Singer P (2016) (09:04) Ethics in the Real World - 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter
Introduction
Acknowledgments
Big Questions
01. The Value of a Pale Blue Dot (from Project Syndicate, May 14, 2009)
02. Does Anything Matter? (from Project Syndicate, June 13, 2011)
03. Is There Moral Progress? (from Project Syndicate, April 14, 2008)
04. God and Suffering, Again (from Free Inquiry, a publication of the Council for Secular Humanism, a program of the Center for Inquiry, October/
November 2008)
05. Godless Morality (with Marc Hauser) (from Project Syndicate, January 4, 2006)
06. Are We Ready for a “Morality Pill”? (with Agata Sagan) (from The New York Times, January 28, 2012)
07. The Quality of Mercy (from Project Syndicate, August 31, 2009)
08. Thinking about the Dead (from Free Inquiry, a publication of the Council for Secular Humanism, a program of the Center for Inquiry, Summer 2003)
09. Should This Be the Last Generation? (from The New York Times, June 6, 2010)
10. Philosophy on Top (from Project Syndicate, April 9, 2014)
11. We Must Nurture the Humanities (from the Sydney Morning Herald, July 27, 2009)
Animals
12. Europe’s Ethical Eggs (from Project Syndicate, January 17, 2012)
13. If Fish Could Scream (from Project Syndicate, September 13, 2010)
14. Cultural Bias against Whaling? (from Project Syndicate, January 14, 2008)
15. A Case for Veganism (from Free Inquiry, a publication of the Council for Secular Humanism, a program of the Center for Inquiry, April/May 2007)
16. Consider the Turkey: Thoughts for Thanksgiving (Not previously published)
17. In Vitro Meat (from The Guardian, August 5, 2013)
18. Chimpanzees Are People, Too (from New York Daily News, October 21, 2014)
19. The Cow Who . . . (from Project Syndicate, February 2016)
Beyond the Ethic of the Sanctity of Life
20. The Real Abortion Tragedy (from Project Syndicate, August 13, 2012)
21. Treating (or Not) the Tiniest Babies (from Free Inquiry, a publication of the Council for Secular Humanism, a program of the Center for Inquiry, June/July 2007)
22. Pulling Back the Curtain on the Mercy Killing of Newborns (from The Los Angeles Times, March 11, 2005)
23. No Diseases for Old Men (from Project Syndicate, March 14, 2008)
24. When Doctors Kill (from Project Syndicate, November 13, 2009)
25. Choosing Death (from Project Syndicate, September 9, 2014)
26. The Tide Is Turning in Australia’s Euthanasia Debate (from the Age, March 2, 2016)
Bioethics and Public Health
27. The Human Genome and the Genetic Supermarket (from Free Inquiry, a publication of the Council for Secular Humanism, a program of the Center for Inquiry, Winter 2001)
28. The Year of the Clone? (from Free Inquiry, a publication of the Council for Secular Humanism, a program of the Center for Inquiry, Summer 2001)
29. Kidneys for Sale? (from Project Syndicate, August 14, 2009)
30. We Have a Moral Obligation to Donate Organs (with Julian Savulescu and William Isdale) (from the Age, August 25, 2015)
31. The Many Crises of Health Care (from Project Syndicate, December 7, 2009)
32. Public Health versus Private Freedom? (from Project Syndicate, September 6, 2012)
33. Weigh More, Pay More (from Project Syndicate, March 12, 2012)
34. Should We Live to 1,000? (from Project Syndicate, December 10, 2012)
35. Population and the Pope (from Project Syndicate, February 11, 2015)
Sex and Gender
36. Should Adult Sibling Incest Be a Crime? (from Project Syndicate, October 8, 2014)
37. Homosexuality Is Not Immoral (from Project Syndicate, October 16, 2006)
38. Virtual Vices (from Project Syndicate, July 17, 2007)
39. A Private Affair? (from Project Syndicate, May 14, 2007)
40. How Much Should Sex Matter? (with Agata Sagan) (from Project Syndicate, April 13, 2012)
41. God and Woman in Iran (from Project Syndicate, October 11, 2012)
Doing Good
42. Australia Gives the World’s Poor Little More than Small Change (from the Age, February 18, 2010)
43. Holding Charities Accountable (from Project Syndicate, February 14, 2008)
44. Blatant Benevolence (from Project Syndicate, June 13, 2008)
45. Good Charity, Bad Charity (from The New York Times, August 10, 2013)
46. Heartwarming Causes Are Nice, but Let’s Give to Charity with Our Heads (from The Washington Post, December 19, 2013)
47. The Ethical Cost of High-Price Art (from Project Syndicate, June 4, 2014)
48. Preventing Human Extinction (with Nick Beckstead and Matt Wage) (from www.effective-altruism.com/ea/50/prev..., August 19, 2013)
Happiness
49. Happiness, Money, and Giving It Away (from Project Syndicate, July 12, 2006)
50. Can We Increase Gross National Happiness? (from Project Syndicate, September 13, 2011)
51. The High Cost of Feeling Low (from Project Syndicate, October 15, 2007)
52. No Smile Limit (from Project Syndicate, April 16, 2007)
53. Happy, Nevertheless (from The New York Times Magazine, December 28, 2008)
Politics
54. Bentham’s Fallacies, Then and Now (from Project Syndicate, August 12, 2015)
55. The Founding Fathers’ Fiscal Crisis (from Project Syndicate, October 2, 2013)
56. Why Vote? (from Project Syndicate, December 14, 2007)
57. Free Speech, Muhammad, and the Holocaust (from Project Syndicate, March 1, 2006)
58. The Use and Abuse of Religious Freedom (from Project Syndicate, June 11, 2012)
59. An Honest Man? (from Project Syndicate, July 30, 2003)
60. Is Citizenship a Right? (from Project Syndicate, May 6, 2014)
61. The Spying Game (from Project Syndicate, July 5, 2013)
62. A Statue for Stalin? (from Project Syndicate, January 9, 2014)
63. Should We Honor Racists? (from Project Syndicate, December 11, 2015)
Global Governance
64. Escaping the Refugee Crisis (from Project Syndicate, September 1, 2015)
65. Is Open Diplomacy Possible? (from Project Syndicate, December 13, 2010)
66. The Ethics of Big Food (from Project Syndicate, March 12, 2013)
67. Fairness and Climate Change (with Teng Fei) (from Project Syndicate, April 11, 2013)
68. Will the Polluters Pay for Climate Change? (from Project Syndicate, August 5, 2006)
69. Why Are They Serving Meat at a Climate Change Conference? (with Frances Kissling) (from The Washington Post, June 15, 2012)
70. Dethroning King Coal (from Project Syndicate, August 6, 2013)
71. Paris and the Fate of the Earth (from Project Syndicate, November 11, 2015)
Science and Technology
72. A Clear Case for Golden Rice (from Project Syndicate, February 17, 2014)
73. Life Made to Order (from Project Syndicate, June 11, 2010)
74. Rights for Robots? (with Agata Sagan) (from Project Syndicate, December 14, 2009)
75. A Dream for the Digital Age (from Project Syndicate, September 9, 2013)
76. A Universal Library (from Project Syndicate, April 13, 2011)
77. The Tragic Cost of Being Unscientific (from Project Syndicate, December 15, 2008)
Living, Playing, Working
78. Rootless, Voteless, but Happily Floating (with Renata Singer) (from the Age, December 26, 2004)
79. How to Keep a New Year’s Resolution (from Project Syndicate, January 4, 2010)
80. Why Pay More? (from Project Syndicate, May 9, 2013)
81. Tiger Mothers or Elephant Mothers? (from Project Syndicate, February 11, 2011)
82. Volkswagen and the Future of Honesty (from Project Syndicate, October 7, 2015)
83. Is Doping Wrong? (from Project Syndicate, August 14, 2007)
84. Is It OK to Cheat at Football? (from Project Syndicate, June 28, 2010)
85. A Surfing Reflection (from Project Syndicate, January 15, 2015)
86. Legacy of a Lifetime (from the Sydney Morning Herald, January 1, 2011)
Notes
August 20, 2023
The majority of these short essays are pre-published works that Singer has put out over the past couple of decades. While they are loosely gathered into some themes - there is a very broad broad approach to the topics (where Singer even contradicts himself at least once LOL).
For some topics Singer has a clear opinion, others he asks questions and some he expresses concern for the future or on some policies.
If you're looking for thoughts and insides on a massive range - then this is very much the book for you! I would caution its not a deep dive, or rather its only brief deep dives on each topic which is great for say an essay an evening before bed (if you need something to think about as you sleep)
I enjoy Singer's honesty and while none of the topics exploded my brain I imagine this is a good piece if you want to accumulate some knowledge on controversial topics 'of the day'
For some topics Singer has a clear opinion, others he asks questions and some he expresses concern for the future or on some policies.
If you're looking for thoughts and insides on a massive range - then this is very much the book for you! I would caution its not a deep dive, or rather its only brief deep dives on each topic which is great for say an essay an evening before bed (if you need something to think about as you sleep)
I enjoy Singer's honesty and while none of the topics exploded my brain I imagine this is a good piece if you want to accumulate some knowledge on controversial topics 'of the day'
September 1, 2021
كتاب يحتوي مقالات قصيرة في مجال علم الأخلاق
(Ethics).
يتطرق الفيلسوف الاسترالي بيتر سينغر لمواضيع عديدة منها الفقر والتغير المناخي وحقوق الحيوان والحرب والاقتصاد بمنظور أخلاقي.
(Ethics).
يتطرق الفيلسوف الاسترالي بيتر سينغر لمواضيع عديدة منها الفقر والتغير المناخي وحقوق الحيوان والحرب والاقتصاد بمنظور أخلاقي.
May 28, 2022
أخلاقيات؟ لم أجد ماهو أخلاقي فيها جل فصول هذا الكتاب!
February 8, 2024
Definitely some pépites in this book but overall I feel like the format is not very well adapted to the content, sometimes leading to logic which is too reductionist and too many assumptions made. I’m generally wary of books which try to address too many topics at once and this one was unfortunately not an exception. Maybe if it was more focused and the chapters were longer it would allow a more nuanced exploration of the case studies
October 12, 2022
Ik vond voornamelijk de essays over dierenrechten en de iets controversiëlere essays over zorg erg interessant. De essays over politiek waren naar mijn smaak wel iets te veel gefocust op Amerika. Het meest indrukwekkende essay vond ik “If fish could scream”.
July 22, 2017
This would make a great 'textbook' for a Philosophy & Ethics course at the high school level. I'd really like to teach such a class someday. The breadth is fantastic: "climate change, extreme poverty, animals, abortion, euthanasia, human genetic selection, sports doping, the sale of kidneys, the ethics of high-priced art, and ways of increasing happiness... whether chimpanzees are people, smoking should be outlawed, or consensual sex between adult siblings should be decriminalised" and more.
The best compliment I can give this book is that it made me want to be a better person. I was especially impacted by his arguments for "effective altruism." As a result of reading this book, Chelsee and I are trying to commit 1% of our income to the most effective charities (www.thelifeyoucansave.org). Right now, we are making monthly donations to the International Rescue Committee, the Fistula Foundation, and Protect Healthy Children. This is on top of the 10% we donate to the Church. This is because I think, like John Huntsman Senior, that tithing doesn't really count as philanthropy. (See https://www.ksl.com/?sid=30771721&...) 1% is still pretty paltry-- but it's more than we were doing before, and that's thanks to this book.
Says Singer, “... those who have enough to spend on luxuries, yet fail to share even a tiny fraction of their income with the poor, must bear some responsibility for the deaths they could have prevented.”
I think Singer is dead wrong on a lot of things, especially with regards to the sanctity of life/abortion/disability, but I think he is earnest, and I admire him. What I really admire is his commitment to doing *worthwhile* work in Philosophy/Ethics. Instead of being cloistered in the Ivory Tower, publishing exclusively in musty journals, he is a public philosopher, applying his prodigious intellect to convincing us all to rise up and be more ethical.
The best compliment I can give this book is that it made me want to be a better person. I was especially impacted by his arguments for "effective altruism." As a result of reading this book, Chelsee and I are trying to commit 1% of our income to the most effective charities (www.thelifeyoucansave.org). Right now, we are making monthly donations to the International Rescue Committee, the Fistula Foundation, and Protect Healthy Children. This is on top of the 10% we donate to the Church. This is because I think, like John Huntsman Senior, that tithing doesn't really count as philanthropy. (See https://www.ksl.com/?sid=30771721&...) 1% is still pretty paltry-- but it's more than we were doing before, and that's thanks to this book.
Says Singer, “... those who have enough to spend on luxuries, yet fail to share even a tiny fraction of their income with the poor, must bear some responsibility for the deaths they could have prevented.”
I think Singer is dead wrong on a lot of things, especially with regards to the sanctity of life/abortion/disability, but I think he is earnest, and I admire him. What I really admire is his commitment to doing *worthwhile* work in Philosophy/Ethics. Instead of being cloistered in the Ivory Tower, publishing exclusively in musty journals, he is a public philosopher, applying his prodigious intellect to convincing us all to rise up and be more ethical.
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