Animal Minds & Moral Truths: A Conversation with Peter Singer (Episode #342)
61,618
Published 2023-11-27
Peter Singer, dubbed “the world’s most influential living philosopher” by The New Yorker, has written, co-authored, edited, or co-edited more than 50 books in over 25 languages, including Practical Ethics, Writings on an Ethical Life, The Life You Can Save, and more. His 1975 book Animal Liberation is often credited with starting the modern animal rights movement. His TED Talk has over 2.25 million views.
Singer was educated at the University of Melbourne and the University of Oxford and is currently the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University's Center for Human Values. When not teaching at Princeton, he lives in Melbourne, Australia, with his wife, Renata, with whom he enjoys hiking. He is also the author of Animal Liberation Now: The Definitive Classic Renewed (Harper; May 23, 2023) and The Buddhist and the Ethicist: Conversations on Effective Altruism, Engaged Buddhism, and How to Build a Better World (Shambhala; December 12, 2023).
Website: petersinger.info/
Twitter: @PeterSinger
November 27, 2023
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All Comments (21)
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We can and should have basic animal rights laws for farm animals. The idea that kicking or throwing a dog down a flight of stairs, for example, provokes so much rage in the minds of the public, while cows, chickens and pigs are subject to extremely painful conditions in their stalls, and extremely painful deaths, just makes no sense whatsoever. This is one of those issues where the public opinion is so irrational you wonder if something is seriouisly mentally wrong with us as a species.
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Thank you for having this conversation. These are really important questions which get to the heart of our consciousness.
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Thank you for this interview , and shedding some light on the biggest crime ever committed by humanity against sentient beings.
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I understand all too well the plight of animals in our current first world culture. The more those who are aware educate, the more we can change the culture. Peter Singer is an example of an animal rights hero.
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I recently watched and listened in horror as a sparrow screamed in agony while being torn apart by a hawk. The sounds were indistinguishable from what a human with a bird's voice might make, and I can no longer dismiss the suffering as that of a lesser being.
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Quit messing around and get Alex O’Connor on the podcast.
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I was most struck by Sam’s point that the success of the “suffering” experiments depends on how analogous the animal minds are to our own, and if that is the case then how can we say with confidence that we are not torturing them?
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Rational skepticism is a natural route to Veganism. I just wish more of us would make the connection.
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This is a topic I struggle with so much because it's so important to me but I can hardly even listen to animal welfare conversations because I get so emotional/ enraged.
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PETER SINGER IS AN ANGEL ON EARTH. ❤ I love him so much #veganforever
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Sam always coming through with the topics I’ve been looking at just when I want them
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This was a great conversation, I studied some of Singer's work in college and was significantly influenced by it.
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Thank you. Great discussion.
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Rational Sam Harris fans lose their god damn minds when someone points out how obviously fucked up human treatment of animals is.
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Thank you for this. It’s the most neglected aspect of our inhumanity.
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Peter Singer: DON'T throw another shrimp on the barbie
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will sam speak out against kosher and halal? - animal torture
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This is a brilliant conversation - measured arguments and healthy debate
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I cannot speak for vegans generally but what makes me angry / sad / disappointed is not that people don’t care, but that some come up with the same bad arguments over and over again.
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It always makes me grin a little when the outro music starts to play as the volume of the guest's voice gradually fades. It's like when an award recipient is taking to long to wrap up their acceptance speech. It's like, "You've had your moment, Peter. Be on your own way."
