Peter Singer Quotes

A collection of quotes by Peter Singer.

Peter Singer is an Australian philosopher, bioethicist, and writer, known for his influential work in the field of animal liberation. He was born on July 6, 1946, in Melbourne, Australia. Singer has made significant contributions to the understanding of ethics, particularly in addressing the moral status and rights of animals.

Throughout his career, Singer has advocated for the idea that nonhuman animals possess inherent value and therefore deserve moral consideration. He argues against speciesism, the belief that humans have a greater moral worth than other animals, and advocates for greater ethical treatment of animals in various domains, such as factory farming, experimentation, and the use of animals in entertainment.

In his groundbreaking book "Animal Liberation" (1975), Singer argued that humans have a duty to alleviate the suffering of animals and advocated for vegetarianism as a means to achieve this goal. This work had a profound impact on the animal rights movement and propelled the topic into public discourse.

Singer has also engaged in discussions regarding poverty, global ethics, effective altruism, and the concept of the expanding circle of moral concern. He has explored various controversial topics, challenging conventional moral attitudes and expanding the boundaries of ethical discourse.

Currently, Singer is a professor of bioethics at Princeton University. His ideas and writings continue to shape the way we think about our obligations toward animals and the broader moral landscape.

Business ethics has always had problems that are distinct fr

Business ethics has always had problems that are distinct from those of other professions, such as medicine, law, engineering, dentistry, or nursing.

Do business managers have a commitment to anything more than

Do business managers have a commitment to anything more than the success of their company and to making money? It would be hard to say that they do. Indeed, many business leaders deny that there is any conflict between self-interest and the interests of all.

I don't think nationalism is alone holding the field it's in

I don't think nationalism is alone holding the field it's in contention with a lot of different things.

Alone

Philosophy is not politics, and we do our best, within our a

Philosophy is not politics, and we do our best, within our all-too-human limitations, to seek the truth, not to score points against opponents. There is little satisfaction in gaining an easy triumph over a weak opponent while ignoring better arguments against your views.

Politics Truth Philosophy

Interest in business ethics courses has surged, and student

Interest in business ethics courses has surged, and student activities at leading business schools are more focused than ever before on making business serve long-term social values.

Business

We need to recognise that what really matters isn't buying m

We need to recognise that what really matters isn't buying more and more consumer goods, but family, friends, and knowing that we are doing something worthwhile with our lives. Helping to reduce the appalling consequences of world poverty should be part of that reassessment.

Family

It's also much clearer how much damage the occupation of Ira

It's also much clearer how much damage the occupation of Iraq is doing to America's reputation and prestige around the world and that's just starting now to hit home in the United States.

Home

Bush is morally a universalist. For instance, he says the fr

Bush is morally a universalist. For instance, he says the freedom is good, the same thing is good, all over the world. So in that sense he's a universalist.

Freedom

The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governme

The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governments would have only two options: accept the Internet with its limitless possibilities of spreading information, or restrict Internet access to the ruling elite and turn your back on the 21st century, as North Korea has done.

Hope

Bush sees the evil as out there in the wider world, residing

Bush sees the evil as out there in the wider world, residing in people who 'hate freedom'. Look at his immediate response to the pictures of prisoner abuse this is not what Americans do, these are not our values.

Freedom

I don't understand the notion that modern farming is anythin

I don't understand the notion that modern farming is anything do to with nature. It's a pretty gross interference with nature.

Nature

I'm not overly alarmist about it, but I do think there are s

I'm not overly alarmist about it, but I do think there are some worrying signs, like the growing accumulation of wealth by a very small proportion of the population, plus elections in the US are much more dominated by money than anywhere else calling itself a democracy.

Money

That's a central part of philosophy, of ethics. What do I ow

That's a central part of philosophy, of ethics. What do I owe to strangers? What do I owe to my family? What is it to live a good life? Those are questions which we face as individuals.

Family

I can tell you that too much money is corrupting American po

I can tell you that too much money is corrupting American politics. Don't blame the American public. The U.S. Supreme Court has a lot to answer for, because it has made it impossible for Congress to reduce the corrupting influence of money on American political life.

Politics

I honestly don't know, but if America continues to refuse to

I honestly don't know, but if America continues to refuse to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, I see a bleak future not only for American society, but for the world as a whole. This is a global problem that is not going away, and the United States is an obstacle to solving it.

Future

What is faith? If you believe something because you have evi

What is faith? If you believe something because you have evidence for it, or rational argument, that is not faith. So faith seems to be believing something despite the absence of evidence or rational argument for it.

Faith

In a democracy, citizens pass judgment on their government,

In a democracy, citizens pass judgment on their government, and if they are kept in the dark about what their government is doing, they cannot be in a position to make well-grounded decisions.

Government

Every profession will have its rogues, of course, no matter

Every profession will have its rogues, of course, no matter what oaths are sworn, but many health care professionals have a real commitment to serving the best interests of their clients.

Health

Without in any way minimising the economic and psychological

Without in any way minimising the economic and psychological blow that people experience when they lose their jobs, the unemployed in affluent countries still have a safety net, in the form of social security payments, and usually free healthcare and free education for their children. They also have sanitation and safe drinking water.

Education

So, basically, my view is I don't want to support the exploi

So, basically, my view is I don't want to support the exploitation of animals, and within reason, I will do what I can to avoid it, but it's not like it's a religion for me. It's not like I consider I'm polluted if somehow some bit of milk or cheese or something passes my lips.

Religion