**Biography and Academic Career**:
– Born in Melbourne, Australia in 1946 to Austrian Jewish parents who fled Nazi Germany.
– Studied law, history, and philosophy at the University of Melbourne and Oxford.
– Noted for his work in applied ethics and bioethics.
– Joined Princeton University in 1999 and contributed to Project Syndicate since 2001.
– Co-founded the Journal of Controversial Ideas in 2018.
**Notable Works and Influence**:
– Wrote ‘Animal Liberation’ in 1975 advocating for vegetarianism.
– Essay ‘Famine, Affluence, and Morality’ argues for aiding the poor.
– Principles of equal consideration of interests and effective altruism.
– Named Australian Humanist of the Year in 2004.
– Co-founder of Animals Australia and The Life You Can Save.
**Philosophical Views**:
– Emphasizes equal consideration of interests principle.
– Advocates for ethical conduct beyond prudence.
– Influence from philosophers like R. M. Hare.
– Stresses universal moral reasons.
– Emphasizes addressing a larger audience in ethical decisions.
**Ethical Stances and Advocacy**:
– Advocates for effective altruism and reducing suffering, especially in poverty and animal welfare.
– Supports animal liberation and equal consideration of interests of all sentient beings.
– Criticizes meat production and promotes vegetarianism.
– Believes in granting moral consideration to all sentient beings.
– Argues for the moral obligation of citizens in rich nations to help the global poor.
**Utilitarianism and Moral Philosophy**:
– Ties morality to prudence through universalization.
– Advocates for actions that maximize the interests of those affected.
– Responds to Hobbesians by arguing for self-interested reasons to adopt moral views.
– Identifies as a sentientist, granting moral consideration to all sentient beings.
– Collaborates with advocates like Karen Dawn and engages in promoting respect towards animals.
Peter Albert David Singer AC (born 6 July 1946) is an Australian moral philosopher who is Emeritus Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. Singer's work specialises in applied ethics, approaching the subject from a secular, utilitarian perspective. He wrote the book Animal Liberation (1975), in which he argues for vegetarianism, and the essay "Famine, Affluence, and Morality", which argues the moral imperative of donating to help the poor around the world. For most of his career, he was a preference utilitarian, but he revealed in The Point of View of the Universe (2014), coauthored with Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek, that he had become a hedonistic utilitarian.
Peter Singer | |
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.jpg) Singer in 2017 | |
| Born | Peter Albert David Singer 6 July 1946 |
| Education | |
| Notable work |
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| Political party | Greens |
| Spouse | Renata Diamond (m. 1968) |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | |
| School | |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | Why Should I Be Moral? (1969) |
| Academic advisors | R. M. Hare (BPhil advisor) |
Main interests | |
Notable ideas | |
| Website | petersinger.info |
On two occasions, Singer served as chair of the philosophy department at Monash University, where he founded its Centre for Human Bioethics. In 1996 he stood unsuccessfully as a Greens candidate for the Australian Senate. In 2004 Singer was recognised as the Australian Humanist of the Year by the Council of Australian Humanist Societies. In 2005, The Sydney Morning Herald placed him among Australia's ten most influential public intellectuals. Singer is a cofounder of Animals Australia and the founder of the non-profit organization The Life You Can Save.