Ethics in the real world 82 brief essays on things that matter ; with a new afterword by the author

One of today's most influential thinkers, Singer is internationally recognized as a seminal philosopher on utilitarian moral theory, the ethics of life and death, globalization, world hunger, animal rights, and environmental ethics. In recent years he has become a "public philosopher," offering crystal-clear writings that reveal a deep appreciation of what is important in life. Almost all of the 82 brief essays collected here were previously published, via Project Syndicate, in newspapers and magazines around the world, and most are readily available via the internet. One could argue that a book comprising dozens of previously published essays by one individual is a waste of paper. That might be true of many authors, but not the prolific Singer. He has written on a wide variety of philosophically important and timely issues, with the result that he is controversial as well as influential. The essays in the present volume address issues well beyond Singer's normal range of commentary. In sum, this book not only provides a broad-based introduction to Singer's moral philosophy but also will serve--absence of references, footnotes, and bibliography notwithstanding--as an excellent textbook for any course in applied ethics. For philosophers, Singer's work provides a model for how to transition from the ivory tower to the domain of public philosophy. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. --Ronald F. White, Mount St. Joseph University

Collected opinion pieces from a renowned ethicist.Australian philosopher Singer (Bioethics/University Center for Human Values, Princeton Univ.; The Most Good You Can Do: How Affective Altruism is Changing Ideas About Living Ethically, 2015, etc.) has written, famously and controversially, about such issues as animal liberation, abortion, equality, altruism, global health, and attainment of a common good. His new volume gathers 82 short piecesall under 1,000 wordsmost of which were contributions to Project Syndicate, a news service for more than 450 media outlets in 153 countries. Singer acknowledges that such pieces often are ephemeral and lack the nuances and qualifications that could be explored in a longer essay. Because his tone is characteristically sedate, the short form unfortunately flattens the impact of some emotionally laden topics: whether physicians are justified in carrying out euthanasia on severely impaired newborns; whether adult sibling incest should be considered a crime; whether demented, aged adults should be treated with antibiotics; and whether obese individuals should be taxed for excess weight. Among the essays on Doing Good are several pieces about how to evaluate charities for giving; Singer argues that supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation to fulfill the superhero fantasies of a five-year-old is less responsible than contributions to organizations that provide surgeries, mosquito nets, and treatments against blindness. In a section on animals, Singer, who has not eaten meat for 40 years, exposes the cruelty involved in the poultry industry, cattle farms, and fishing; it is not merely the method of killing animals that he objects to, but the suffering that animals experience while alive. In a previously unpublished piece, he suggests bringing up at Thanksgiving dinner the ethical implications of eating turkey. Many pieces could well inspire conversationsand argumentsthat deepen and complicate the crucial moral and ethical issues that Singer presents. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.