Few people are prepared to really think ethically and openly about what they eat, he says. "There's a whole lot of factors that just make it hard for people to make that fundamental change" Do you wish that human beings had never settled the New World or New Zealand? No, I don't wish that. But if someone asks the question, say, do we wish that human being had never settle the New World? And there would then be many more intelligent mammals alive in the New World today? He simply thinks that question is intractable.
Peter Singer is one of the world’s most influential living philosophers, whose ideas have motivated millions of people to change how they eat, how they give, and how they interact with each other and the natural world.
Peter joined Tyler to discuss whether utilitarianism is only tractable at the margin, how Peter thinks about the meat-eater problem, why he might side with aliens over humans, at what margins he would police nature, the utilitarian approach to secularism and abortion, what he’s learned producing the Journal of Controversial Ideas, what he’d change about the current Effective Altruism movement, where Derek Parfit went wrong, to what extent we should respect the wishes of the dead, why professional philosophy is so boring, his advice on how to enjoy our lives, what he’ll be doing after retiring from teaching, and more.
Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.
Recorded May 25th, 2023
Other ways to connect
Photo credit: Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek