Peter Singer on his ethical legacy

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Vox Media Podcast Network

Society & Culture, News, Politics, News Commentary, Philosophy

4.6 • 10.8K Ratings

🗓️ 25 May 2023

⏱️ 66 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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) Enjoyed this episode? Rate The Gray Area ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of The Gray Area. Subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Support The Gray Area by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts This episode was made by: Producer: Erikk Geannikis Engineer: Patrick Boyd Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	When you drive a Chevy electric vehicle, you're getting more than a way to get from point A to point B.
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1:02.0	I'm Dylan Matthews. I write for Vox about ways to do good in the world and today I'm sitting in for Sean Elling.
1:09.0	When I was in seventh grade, our social studies class had us make a poster describing a serious problem in the world.
1:19.0	Most people chose poverty or hunger or HIV-AIDS, things like that.
1:25.0	One friend of mine chose the philosophy of Peter Singer.
1:29.0	At the time I didn't know Singer was a big time professor of bioethics at Princeton and perhaps the most famous living philosopher in the world.
1:37.0	I didn't know about any philosophers.
1:40.0	I just saw that this 12-year-old put together a poster describing the most dangerous man in the world,
1:46.0	with ideas about abortion and in fantasies that pose threats to human life as we know it.
1:54.0	At age 12, like many 12-girl boys, I was kind of a dick.
1:59.0	So naturally I responded to this poster by going to my nearest bookstore, picking up Singer's book writings on an ethical life,
2:07.0	and reading it performatively in front of my friend as often as possible.
2:12.0	To my great surprise, I found the book pretty compelling.
	...

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