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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 170
EAN num: 9780060007447
ISBN number: 0060007443
Label: Harper Perennial
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 384
Printing Date: September 01, 2001
Publishing house: Harper Perennial
Release Date: September 18, 2001
Sale Popularity Level: 49246
Studio: Harper Perennial
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Product Description:
Love him or hate him, you certainly can't ignore him. For the past twenty years, Australian philosopher and professor of bioethics Peter Singer has pushed the hot buttons of our collective conscience. In addition to writing the book that sparked the modern animal rights movement, Singer has challenged our most closely held beliefs on the sanctity of human life, the moral obligation's of citizens of affluent nations toward those living in the poorest countries of the world, and much more, with arguments that intrigue as often and as powerfully as they incite.
Writings On An Ethical Life offers a comprehensive collection of Singer's best and most provocative writing, as chosen by Singer himself. Among the controversial subjects addressed are the moral status of animals, environmental account-ablility, abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, and the ultimate choice of living an ethical life. This book provides an unsurpassed one-volume view of both the underpinnings and the applications of Singer's governing philosophy.
Amazon.com Review:
Peter Singer's arguments have penetrating moral accountability that can be quite unnerving to the reader who is expecting an afternoon on the couch with a cup of coffee and a book. In fact, words like influential, controversial, and much less flattering adjectives are invariably appended to his name. There is no doubt that the very first two titles apply, but whether he is deserving of the less flattering adjectives remains for readers of this book to decide. Writings on an Ethical Life collects his thoughts on practical ethics over the last 30 years into a single volume. Singer begins from the premise that 'the whole point of ethical judgments is to guide practice,' which may not seem very remarkable nowadays, but in its day was virtually anathema to academic ethicists, who preferred abstract theorizing to practical moral reasoning.
Singer very first gained eminence for his profoundly important early work on animal rights, arguing convincingly for vegetarianism and against the commonplace cruel treatment of animals by large commercial interests. However, he has probably attracted the most notoriety for his much-maligned writings in defense of abortion rights and certain forms of euthanasia. Singer is frequently misunderstood, misquoted, and demonized. Ironically, the ferocity of his detractors--particularly during his appointment as DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University--has generated nearly unheard-of exposure for an academic philosopher. While a small portion of Singer's work has been catapulted into the limelight, lay audiences have often overlooked other equally important ideas--unfortunate, because he is a wonderfully plainspoken and powerful writer: 'Where so many are in such great need, indulgence in luxury is not morally neutral, and the fact that we have not killed anyone is not enough to make us morally decent citizens of the world.' It is no wonder Singer is so controversial and influential. --Eric de Place
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Rated by buyers 
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Singer writes about many subjects which are potentially disturbing to a complacent, wealthy American (such as myself). I found the essays to be a salutary reminder of my effect on the larger world, and refreshingly down-to-earth. These are not academic essays, but journalistic ones which address ethical matters of concern to every political person with a conscience.
Rated by buyers 
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For some reason I thought this would be a spiritual look at philosophy, life, etc. ... a more "light", eastern-style book. After reading just a few pages, it seemed to me to be more a way of showcasing Singer's own intellect. I can't stomach books full of pseudo-intellectual double-speak. Just say what you gotta say, without trying to come off so damned intellectual!
Rated by buyers -
Peter Singer divides this book into seperate issues regarding ethics. He addresses issues such as euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and infanticide. In discussing these issues he offers a powerful and compelling normative argument that will force you to question your own opinions and will, inevitably, help you to develop your opinions of these issues. It is a well-written and informative book that uses real facts and experiences to back his claims. No matter what, it WILL make you think of yourself and the world in new ways.
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This book is a collection of thoughtful writings from several of the author's previous works, selected by the author himself. He describes himself as a "social democrat, utterly opposed to racist policies and a totalitarian state" and has a utilitarian philosophy with regard to ethics. (One of his books, which I have not read, is called "Practical Ethics".) From my objectivist viewpoint, these are contradictory sentiments which are reflected in the inconsistency of some of the essays, but the collection of essays does not directly address political or economic issues where utilitarian ideas can trample individual liberty. He gives "reason" some credit for helping to establish a code of ethics which we can live by, but doesn't see how it could be the sole foundation. He fails to mention or is unaware of Ayn Rand's work, nor does he refer to further thought in "her" philosophy of objectivism which does give the rational foundation for ethics that he struggles for in his early essays.
Although he mentions the experimental work by Harvard researchers Trivers and Hamilton on reciprocal altruism, he fails to make the association that benevolence (the calculated risk by one human that he takes by helping another unrelated human without any guarantee that he may receive any benefit from the relationship in return) is a part of our human nature. Indeed, evolutionary psychology was at play making man as a social creature responding and interacting with his fellow man, inculcating the "golden rule" as a survival enhancing trait, tens of thousands of years before man could even think up of a god that created the heavens and the earth, and that told him how to behave. Indeed, these rules of behavior cross all religions and philosophies to a certain degree. Ayn Rand's view on "selfishness" as a philosophic underpinning to objectivist philosophy was prescient in this regard, although the unfortunate simplistic interpretation given to her specific use of this term vilified her philosophy and helped prevent its serious consideration by most academic institutions.
Singer correctly points out that the dogmatic constraint Judeo-Christian philosophy places on us (i.e. the sanctity of human life) prevents most of us from opening our minds to rational discusion when it comes to life and death decisions. His well-reasoned and compelling presentation of abortion, infanticide and euthanasia was the highlight of this collection of essays, and begs for broader public discusion of these issues before we descend into the Dark Ages again. His arguments against "speciesism", the term he uses to describe man's discrimination against and maltreatment of other forms of conscious life (non-human animals), contradicts his own foundation for human abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia. He rightly feels that our ability to reason should help us to derive a generally accepted ethical code which allows us to make choices as individuals (and specifically not as a collective) about life and death decisions of "significant others" in our lives (such as an unborn child with Down's syndrome in the case of abortion, a child of our own born without a brain (anencephaly) in the case of infanticide, or a parent who is about to die painfully and wants his/her life ended sooner in the case of euthanasia). But if we use human life (or the potential for human life) as the standard of value for a moral philosophy (Ayn Rand's "man qua man") and we as individual human beings are allowed to be responsible for the important foregoing decisions in human life, why would it make sense to not control other "less human" forms of life? We humans are at the top of the heap of life forms on this planet; not the sheep or chimpanzees. As humans we can influence our fellow man to appreciate the nonfood value of other forms of animal life and of the natural world in general, and in this way help to save our biodiversity. Others of us can become vegetarians (as Singer has done) or donate money to causes which preserve natural habitats and create sanctuaries for animals. A healthy respect for animals should be taught by example. Cruelty to animals should be condemned.
I recommend this book to all those with an interest in understanding the ethical issues involved in abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia. It is probably a good introduction to Singer's other works, since he presumably took some of his best writing from those works. I would beware of the underlying utilitarian philosophic pragmatism lest we run down the road to serfdom and give up our individual liberty.
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I found this thought-provoking, but there is more to philosophy than provocation. The underlying argument of the book, and its only valid statement as ethics, is that since the only purpose of ethics is to regulate human behavior, the ethics we adopt should reflect the kind of society we want to live in. This results-oriented approach is fine, but Singer doesn't really build any philosophical argument from it. Virtually all of Singer's arguments about particular issues rest upon emotional premises that the reader either does or does not accept. If you accept the premise you are likely to find merit in the argument; if you don't accept the premise, it's hard to follow Singer to a useful conclusion. This is not ethics but politics - the politics of someone who is too smart for standard political discourse and not interested in limiting his thoughts to philsophy as a discipline. How useful you find this is up to you. I don't know Singer from Adam and I hadn't been indoctrinated in his "groundbreaking-ness" before I bought the book; as a result, I don't see what people are so excited about.
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