The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Peter Singer on his ethical legacy

May 25, 2023

Peter Singer, the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, is renowned for his influential work on animal rights and effective altruism. In a thought-provoking discussion, he addresses the evolution of the animal rights movement and its ongoing challenges. Singer dives into ethical dilemmas surrounding euthanasia and disability, revealing his controversial views. He also reflects on the ethical responsibilities towards those in need, connecting them to his foundational ideas of utilitarianism and the global impact of effective altruism.

01:05:13

Episode guests

Peter Singer

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Discussion on the Petersburg Paradox and its assumptions

01:16

The Ethics of Giving: Strong and Weak Versions

01:24

Climate change and the meat industry's impact on animal suffering

01:24

Debate on the slippery slope argument in euthanasia cases

01:28

Intro

5min

Evolution of Animal Rights in the 1970s

15min

Debating Ethics: Singer on Life and Rights

7min

Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Disability and Euthanasia

17min

Ethical Responsibilities: Helping Those in Need

5min

The Journey of Effective Altruism

14min

Navigating the Challenges of Popularizing Philosophy

2min

Can we live a good life in a world where animals are factory farmed? Guest host Dylan Matthews talks with the world-famous ethicist Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation Now, the newly revised edition of his movement-founding 1975 work. They talk about the progress made by the animal rights movement — and the issues it still faces. Dylan also questions Singer on other aspects of his career as an outspoken popularizer of philosophy and ethics, including his positions on physician-assisted dying, abortion rights, and effective altruism.

Host: Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, Vox

Guest: Peter Singer (@PeterSinger), Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics, Princeton University; author

References:

Animal Liberation Now by Peter Singer (Harper Perennial; 2023), an updated version of Animal Liberation by Peter Singer (HarperCollins; 1975)
Peter Singer Live on Stage: tickets and more info
"Animal Liberation" by Peter Singer (New York Review of Books, Apr. 5, 1973)
Unsanctifying Human Life: Essays on Ethics by Peter Singer (Wiley-Blackwell; 2002)
Practical Ethics by Peter Singer (Cambridge; 1979)
"Unspeakable Conversations" by Harriet McBryde Johnson (NYT Magazine; Feb. 16, 2003)
"Famine, Affluence, and Morality" by Peter Singer (Philosophy & Public Affairs, vol. 1 no. 3; Spring, 1972)
Giving What We Can
Jeremy Bentham, An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789)
"Sam Bankman-Fried tries to explain himself" by Kelsey Piper (Vox; Nov. 16, 2022)
The St. Petersburg Paradox
Henry Sidgwick, The Methods of Ethics (1874)
Moral Thinking by R.M. Hare (Oxford; 1982)
Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy by Bernard Williams (Harvard; 1986)

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This episode was made by:

Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Engineer: Patrick Boyd
Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall

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