Ethics in the Real World: 82 Brief Essays on Things That Matter

Written by Peter Singer

Narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies

Peter Singer is often described as the world's most influential philosopher. He is also one of its most controversial. The author of important books such as Animal Liberation and Practical Ethics, he helped launch the animal rights and effective altruism movements and contributed to the development of bioethics. Now, in Ethics in the Real World, Singer shows that he is also a master at dissecting important current events in a few hundred words.



In this book of brief essays, he applies his controversial ways of thinking to issues like climate change, extreme poverty, animals, abortion, euthanasia, human genetic selection, sports doping, the sale of kidneys, the ethics of high-priced art, and ways of increasing happiness. Singer asks whether chimpanzees are people, smoking should be outlawed, or consensual sex between adult siblings should be decriminalized, and he reiterates his case against the idea that all human life is sacred, applying his arguments to some recent cases in the news. In addition, he explores, in an easily accessible form, some of the deepest philosophical questions, such as whether anything really matters and what is the value of the pale blue dot that is our planet.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Sep 13, 2016
• ISBN: 9781515980049

Peter Singer

Peter Singer is the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University and laureate professor at the University of Melbourne’s School of Historical and Philosophical Studies. The most prominent ethicist of our time, he is the author of more than twenty books, including Animal Liberation, Practical Ethics, and The Life You Can Save. Singer divides his time between New York City and Melbourne, Australia.

Reviews for Ethics in the Real World

[carmacreator · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“Words do have consequences, and what one generation says but does not really believe, the next generation may believe, and even act upon.”

This was a great overview of Peter Singer's ethical essays. I enjoyed reading them a lot. Each essay is about 3-4 pages - making them very easy to get through. He covers a pretty good range of topics, in plain English. His views are mostly utilitarian. The topics cover a large range of topics, from Environmental topics to areas such as Abortion.

One reason for losing a star, is I believe it would have been better had he provided more "post-scripts" or follow ups, for older essays. Some essay's had been originally posted in 1999-early 2000s, and I think some of them needed more of an update at the end to give a perspective on how things had changed since then. Particularly, where technology had moved forward significantly.

If you want to read some Ethics, this is certainly a good place to start. There are lots of little nuggets of wisdom in here, and certainly a lot to consider.

“We need to get over our reluctance to speak openly about the good we do. Silent giving will not change a culture that deems it sensible to spend all your money on yourself and your family, rather than to help those in greater need—even though helping others is likely to bring more fulfillment in the long run.”

[leeboiboi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this book, Dr. Singer explores several controversial topics and gives his opinion. I found his section on abortion to be the most interesting.