The Surfing Philosopher: Peter Singer and the Mercy Release Fallacy

We Can Be Weirdos

Global

Philosophy, Society & Culture, Religion & Spirituality, Spirituality

4.9 • 736 Ratings

🗓️ 27 February 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Peter Singer, born on July 6, 1946, in Melbourne, Australia, is a prominent moral philosopher renowned for his work in applied ethics and animal rights. Educated at the University of Melbourne and the University of Oxford, he has taught at institutions worldwide, including Princeton University, where he serves as the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics. Singer's seminal 1975 book, "Animal Liberation," is often credited with initiating the modern animal rights movement. He has authored over 50 books, addressing topics such as global poverty, bioethics, and effective altruism. In 2023, he published "Animal Liberation Now," updating his original work to reflect contemporary issues. Singer is also the founder of the non-profit organisation The Life You Can Save, which advocates for effective philanthropy to combat global poverty.

For more information about Peter Singer and his work, you can visit his official website:

petersinger.info

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	The first bounce, the first serve, the moment it finally goes over the neck.
0:05.5	Now you're roaring like a champion.
0:07.9	Suddenly your local park feels like centre court.
0:10.7	You aren't just playing.
0:11.8	You're growing more confident with every session.
0:14.4	At Barclays, we know the small moments can build lifelong confidence.
0:18.0	That's why we've partnered with the LTA to bring tennis to 150,000 new players
0:22.4	across the country. There's even a Parkley's Free Park tennis session at Southwark Park. Search
0:26.4	Parkley's Free Park tennis to sign up.
0:32.1	This is a global player original podcast. You should never underestimate the power of a group of small number of determined people to change the world.
0:41.8	It's the only thing that ever has.
1:12.9	It's the only thing that ever has. Hey, everyone. Welcome to another episode of We Can Be Weirdos. My name is Dan Schreiber. I am coming to you today from my home at Roughway by C. And on today's episode, I am joined by someone that the New York Times has called
1:19.4	perhaps the world's most influential living philosopher. And that is Peter Singer. Peter Singer is,
1:26.8	as well as being a philosopher, he's a bioethicist,
1:29.9	he's an author, wrote a seminal book in 1975 called Animal Liberation, which many say is the
1:37.4	seminal text for the animal rights movement. It was published in 1975. It's had a massive influence
1:42.8	on the world of factory farming, the idea of speciesism,
1:47.0	and he spent a lifetime tackling the issues of global poverty, bioethics, and utilitarianism,
1:54.0	which effectively argues for the idea of maximizing overall planetary happiness and reducing suffering.
2:01.5	He's got big ideas.
2:02.9	Some are controversial.
2:04.2	Others have changed the world.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Global, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Global and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.