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Peter Singer
Who should be sacrificed? A clear and bold solution to right and wrong.
A great moral philosopher who helped bring about the animal liberation movement- Lecture Info
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Practical Ethics
Can we sacrifice the rights of the minority for the benefit of the majority?
Why should we help those in poor countries?
Do animals have rights?
What do we need to do to live a happy life?
What should guide our decisions as we face life’s most difficult ethical decisions? World-renowned moral philosopher Peter Singer's answer is simple: choose what maximizes happiness.
From animal rights to human happiness, Peter Singer brings the question of ethics from the theoretical to the practical, giving us a better roadmap when making ethical decisions, and utilitarianism is what it all comes back to. Peter Singer puts forth convincing arguments as to why utilitarianism provides the best ethical compass, giving us specific pandemic examples and compelling thought experiments in our lecture series.
In lecture one, Peter Singer explains utilitarian ethics through the real-life example of doctors' moral choices during the COVID-19 pandemic and through the philosophical teachings of Dostoevsky and Ursula K. Le Guin. In lecture two, we look at why we should help the poor in underdeveloped countries instead of the poor in developed ones through the lens of efficient altruism.
In lecture three, Peter Singer discusses animal rights issues with the assistance of the philosophical musings of past philosophers like Aristotle, Kant, and Bentham. And in lecture four, we learn about factory farming issues and look at solutions that can be implemented to protect animal rights. In last lecture , Peter Singer guides us to an answer to the question "What is a good life?"
In this Practical Ethics series of Great Minds lectures, Peter Singer, a philosopher who has long contemplated the relationship between theory and practice, brings us closer to these answers.
Peter Singer
Awarded Berggruen Prize (2021) Professor of bioethics at Princeton University (1999~) Third on the list of the Top 100 Global Thought-Leaders by GDI (2013) One of Time’s 100 most influential people in the world (2005) Author of ‘Animal Liberation,’ ‘Practical Ethics,’ ‘The Most Good You Can Do,’ etc.
Peter Singer is the philosopher who is considered to have changed people's perception of animals with his book, Animal Liberation (1975). With this book he bolstered the worldwide movement to ban cruelty towards animals.
More than just a renowned animal liberationist, he is regarded as a leading moral philosopher. He tackles some of the most controversial ethical dilemmas of our time such as issues of life and death, wealth inequality, and the origins of happiness from a utilitarian perspective. And he participates in a variety of social movements in support of those disenfranchised in society, such as the poor, women, and animals. In particular, his key philosophy of ‘effective altruism’ serves as a playbook to guide us all in finding the best way to support social movements and distribute foreign aid.
In recognition of these achievements Peter Singer received the Berggruen Prize, a prestigious award for significantly influential philosophers, in 2021 and is now a Professor of Bioethics at the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University.
Other Lectures in Philosophy & Religion
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