Why Ethics and Joy Belong Together with Peter Singer

The One You Feed

Eric Zimmer

Education, Self-improvement, Religion & Spirituality, Health & Fitness, Buddhism, Mental Health

4.6 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 8 August 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Peter Singer explains why ethics and joy belong together. He offers a moral wake-up call as he shares his now-famous “drowning child” thought experiment: if we saw a child drowning right in front of us, we’d act without hesitation. So why do we so often fail to act when suffering is farther away?Peter challenges the idea that ethics is about rigid rules or self-denial. Instead, he argues that living ethically is a path to a more joyful and meaningful life. This conversation explores how generosity, purpose, and even activities done purely for pleasure—like surfing—can all be part of a good life.

Feeling overwhelmed, even by the good things in your life?

Check out Overwhelm is Optional — a 4-week email course that helps you feel calmer and more grounded without needing to do less. In under 10 minutes a day, you’ll learn simple mindset shifts (called “Still Points”) you can use right inside the life you already have. Sign up here for only $29!

Key Takeaways:

[00:02:31] Ethical obligations in everyday life.
[00:06:45] Helping those in extreme poverty.
[00:10:46] Happiness and moral responsibility.
[00:11:45] Moral progress in civilization.
[00:16:12] Saving children from malaria.
[00:21:02] Measuring happiness effectively.
[00:25:02] Happiness and money connection.
[00:27:43] Personal identity and change.
[00:32:00] Spiritual path and personal satisfaction.
[00:43:05] Enjoying non-competitive activities.

If you enjoyed this conversation with Peter Singer, check out these other episodes:

Purposeful Living: Strategies to Align Your Values and Actions with Victor Strecher

How to Create a Life Strategy for Meaningful Change with Seth Godin

For full show notes, click here!

Connect with the show:

Follow us on YouTube: @TheOneYouFeedPod
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
Follow us on Instagram

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I think that what we ought to be doing is what will have the best consequences for all of those affected by our actions.
0:10.0	Welcome to the one you feed.
0:16.0	Throughout time, great thinkers have recognized the importance of the thoughts we have,
0:20.0	quotes like,
0:21.2	garbage in, garbage out, or, you are what you think, ring true, and yet, for many of us,
0:27.7	our thoughts don't strengthen or empower us. We tend toward negativity, self-pity, jealousy,
0:34.1	or fear. We see what we don't have instead of what we do. We think things that hold us
0:39.3	back and dampen our spirit. But it's not just about thinking. Our actions matter. It takes
0:45.4	conscious, consistent, and creative effort to make a life worth living. This podcast is about how
0:51.2	other people keep themselves moving in the right direction, how they feed their good wolf.
0:58.5	Have you ever walked past someone in need and wondered, should I do more? In his book, The Life You Can Save, today's guest, philosopher Peter Singer, shares a haunting thought experiment. If we walked by a child drowning right
1:12.6	beside us and we did nothing, we'd rightly feel like monsters. Yet every day there are children
1:18.7	all around the world who are suffering and dying, even though we have the means to help.
1:23.9	This story has really unsettled me in the time of preparing for this conversation,
1:29.9	forcing me to re-examine my own morals and values. Peter Singer's groundbreaking ideas invite
1:35.3	all of us to reconsider our ethical obligations, not just theoretically, but in how we live every
1:41.6	day. I also manage in this conversation to put my foot in my mouth
1:45.7	in a truly epic way. We discuss the joys of doing something for the sheer enjoyment of it,
1:50.9	in this case surfing. This was a really powerful and thought-provoking conversation for me,
1:56.7	so I hope you enjoy it. I'm Eric Zimmer, and this is the one you feed.
2:01.5	Searching for a romantic summer getaway.
2:03.9	Escape with Rich Girl Summer, the new audible original from Lily Chew.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 9 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

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

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