Peter Singer
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Articles by Peter Singer
Is The Lancet antisemitic?
Since the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023, The Lancet has been involved in a series of controversies about its coverage of the conflict. On social media it has been accused of anti-Semitism. Honest Reporting is more careful but clear: “For years, @TheLancet has published misinformation in order to demonize the Jewish state.” I’ve known its editor, Richard Horton, since the 1990s, and liked him for his contrarian approach.
New Podcast Release: Zoe Weil
Zoe has spent decades working at the intersection of education, ethics, and systems change. She argues that solving problems is not enough. We must become “solutionaries”: people who address unjust, unsustainable, and inhumane systems in ways that do the most good and the least harm for people, animals, and the environment.
New Podcast Release: Rebecca Goldstein
Rebecca’s work has long explored the intersection of science, ethics, and the human search for meaning. Trained first in physics and later in philosophy, she brings to moral questions a sensibility shaped by the second law of thermodynamics, Spinoza’s naturalism, and decades of reflection on what it means to justify one’s life to oneself. Her recent book centres on what she calls “the mattering instinct” - the deeply human need not merely to survive, but to feel that one’s life counts.
New Podcast Release: Jennifer Wallace
In the latest episode of Lives Well Lived, the podcast I co-host with Kasia de Lazari-Radek, we speak with journalist and author Jennifer Wallace about her new book: Mattering: The Secret to Life of Deep Connection and Purpose. Jennifer’s work focuses on a question that sits beneath many contemporary anxieties: what it means to feel that one’s life counts.
New Podcast Release: Marion Nestle
Marion Nestle became a public figure late in life, but her influence on how we think about food, health, and power has been wide-reaching. In this conversation, we discuss what it means to eat well in a food system designed to encourage overconsumption, and how a life shaped by difficulty can still unfold in unexpected ways.
New Podcast Release: Tim Minchin
Bold Reasoning with Peter Singer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. In this episode of “Lives Well Lived”, Kasia de Lazari-Radek and I speak with Tim Minchin about the ideas and experiences that have shaped his work, from the slow, unexpected rise of White Wine in the Sun to the harder questions he has tackled in songs like Come Home, Cardinal Pell. We begin with the Christmas song that Australians know well.
New Podcast Release: Shermin Kruse
In this episode of Lives Well Lived, Kasia de Lazari-Radek and I speak with Shermin Kruse, author of Stoic Empathy and the semi-autobiographical novel Butterfly Stitching, about the moment in her childhood that shaped her idea of tactical empathy. At nine years old, she stood in a marketplace in Iran facing a morality guard with an assault rifle and watched her mother defuse the situation through calm, perceptive understanding rather than fear or anger.
Debate: To Shrimp or Not to Shrimp
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Peter Singer: Her er, hvad Bill Gates overser om klimaforandringer
Forud for dette års netop afholdte FN-klimakonference i Belém i Brasilien (COP30) udgav Bill Gates, formand og hovedsponsor for fonden, der bærer hans navn, et essay under overskriften »Tre hårde sandheder om klimaet«. Den første lyder: »Klimaforandringer er et alvorligt problem, men det vil ikke være enden på civilisationen«. Gates anerkender, at klimakrisen er »et meget alvorligt problem«, som »skal løses«, og at »hver en tiendedel temperaturstigning, som vi kan undgå, er…
New Podcast Release: Stephen West
Stephen’s path to philosophy was anything but typical. At sixteen he was a runaway, working long shifts in a warehouse after leaving foster care and high school behind. With no teachers, mentors, or peers to turn to, he typed one question into Google: Who is the wisest person in history? The search led him to Plato’s Gorgias — and to a lifelong fascination with ideas that could help make sense of his experience.
New Podcast Release: Mercedes and Anastasia Korngut
We speak with Canadian sisters Mercedes and Anastasia Korngut, 17 and 15 years old respectively, but already the founders of Small Bits of Happiness, a company and podcast devoted to helping people of all ages find more joy in daily life.
New Podcast Release: Daniel Gilbert
In the latest episode of Lives Well Lived, the podcast I co-host with Kasia de Lazari-Radek, we speak with Harvard professor of psychology and bestselling author Daniel Gilbert, whose book Stumbling on Happiness transformed our understanding of why we often don’t choose wisely when it comes to our own happiness. In our conversation, we explore why people are remarkably poor at predicting what will make them happy, and whether decades of new research have changed that.
New Podcast Release: Bishop Mariann Budde
In the latest episode of Lives Well Lived, the podcast I co-host with Kasia de Lazari-Radek, we speak with Bishop Mariann Budde, the first woman to serve as Episcopalian Bishop of Washington D.C. and of the Washington National Cathedral. We begin with a clip from the sermon she delivered the day after Donald Trump’s second inauguration, in which she stood before the newly elected president and pleaded for mercy toward the people he had targeted: especially LGBTQ+ people, and immigrants.
New Podcast Release: Leading Organizations to Make the World a Better Place
In the latest episode of Lives Well Lived, the podcast I co-host with Kasia de Lazari-Radek, we speak with Julia van Boven and Sjir Hoeijmakers: two people using their careers and resources to make the world a better place.
New Podcast Release: Christine Webb
In our conversation, Christine reflects on her early experiences in the Namib Desert with a baboon named Bear, encounters that challenged scientific assumptions about the kind of thoughts that monkeys are capable of. She also talks about her path into primatology, from reading Darwin in high school to her time working in a Columbia University lab, where she struggled with the ethics of keeping monkeys inside a building, in solitary confinement.
In the latest episode of Lives Well Lived, the podcast I co-host with Kasia de Lazari-Radek, we speak with Barry Jones, often described as Australia’s “national treasure”: quiz show champion, politician, Minister for Science, and lifelong public intellectual. In our conversation, Barry reflects on the experiences that shaped his remarkable life - from witnessing the Depression as a child, to campaigning against the death penalty, to standing up for integrity in politics.
New Podcast Release: Martha Nussbaum
In our conversation, Martha draws on her own experience of the death of her daughter Rachel to reflect on the fragility of human life and the limits of Stoicism. She describes how she coped with Rachel’s death by continuing her work on Justice for Animals. Other topics include her views on ageing, love, and sexuality, as well as her account of emotions as forms of reasoning, and her approach to justice for both humans and animals. Below are some highlights from our conversation, edited for clarity.
New Podcast Release: Stephen Fry
In our conversation, Stephen reflects on his adolescence, discovering his sexuality through Oscar Wilde, and the time he spent in prison for credit card fraud before winning a scholarship to Cambridge. We discuss how literature and language shaped his life, the influence of Howard’s End and The Brothers Karamazov, and his early thoughts about becoming a vicar.
New Podcast Release: Anna Machin
In the latest episode of Lives Well Lived, the podcast I co-host with Kasia de Lazari-Radek, we speak with evolutionary anthropologist Anna Machin, who studies the science of love, attraction, and human relationships.
For science to thrive we must protect scientists from harassment - Nature Medicine
Throughout my academic career, I have been a supporter of freedom of thought and expression.
Successful UN 80 reform requires relentless focus on results
In the 1984 movie Amadeus, Emperor Joseph II tells Mozart: “My dear young man, don't take it too hard. Your work is ingenious. It's quality work. And there are simply too many notes, that's all.” This scene is an excellent summary of the UN’s reform effort, called UN80, which in a recent report focused on the mandates given to the UN secretariat by member states. The report’s conclusions: too many mandates that are too long, more meetings and longer reports, and duplication across the UN system.
Successful UN 80 reform requires relentless focus on results
In the 1984 movie Amadeus, Emperor Joseph II tells Mozart: “My dear young man, don't take it too hard. Your work is ingenious. It's quality work. And there are simply too many notes, that's all.” This scene is an excellent summary of the UN’s reform effort, called UN80, which in a recent report focused on the mandates given to the UN secretariat by member states. The report’s conclusions: too many mandates that are too long, more meetings and longer reports, and duplication across the UN system.
New Podcast Release: Ellen Langer
Ellen Langer is a pioneering figure in psychology, often described as the "mother of mindfulness." For decades, her research has challenged conventional thinking about health, ageing, and the power of the mind to influence the body. In our conversation, Ellen explains why she believes the mind and body are not separate entities, but a single, unified system and how this insight can dramatically reshape our understanding of illness, healing, and even longevity.
New Podcast Release: Wayne Hsiung
Wayne Hsiung is one of the most prominent voices in the animal rights movement today. In our conversation, Wayne explains why he is prepared to risk spending time in prison in order to rescue animals from factory farms and inform the public about the conditions in which those animals are living. We talk about how his activism began, about how disrupting restaurants went viral – and whether it helped animals – and about the thinking behind Open Rescue.
Diskriminierung: Wie jungen Iranerinnen der Aufstieg verwehrt wird
Meine Großmutter gehörte zu den ersten Frauen, die an der Universität von Wien Mathematik und Physik studiert haben. Als sie im Jahr 1905 promovierte, wurde sie aufgrund ihrer hervorragenden Leistungen von der Universität für die höchstmögliche Auszeichnung nominiert, bei der in einem feierlichen Promotionsakt ein Ring mit den kaiserlichen Initialen überreicht wird.
New Podcast Release: Dasho Dechen Wangmo
Dasho Dechen Wangmo played a pivotal role in leading Bhutan through the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping the country’s death toll among the lowest in the world. In our conversation, she explains how Bhutan was able to achieve that extraordinary success. We also explore Bhutan’s broader approach to wellbeing: the philosophy of Gross National Happiness.
Cass Sunstein on Animal Liberation, Burke, and Tradition
For those who don’t already know Cass Sunstein’s achievements, he is a professor in the Harvard Law School, the most-cited legal scholar in the United States, and the author of many important books, of which perhaps the most famous is Nudge, co-authored with Richard Thaler.
New Podcast Release: Dean Spears
Dean’s work brings a fresh and surprising perspective to the issue of population growth, which has often been seen as a major threat. Instead, in his new book, After the Spike: Population, Progress, and the Case for People, co-authored with Michael Geruso, Dean argues that global population is likely to start falling before the end of the century, but that this is not a good thing.
US-Wahl: Amerikas manipulierte Präsidentschaftswahl
Zweifellos haben viele Menschen in der ganzen Welt angesichts der Wiederwahl von US-Präsident Obama aufgeatmet. Laut einer Umfrage der BBC in 21 Ländern der Welt gibt es überall, außer in Pakistan, eine starke Präferenz für Barack Obama. Die Freude über das Wahlergebnis sollte uns jedoch nicht darüber hinwegtäuschen, dass diese Wahl einige ethische Voraussetzungen einer demokratischen Wahl nicht erfüllt hat.
Tierschutz: Ein historischer Kampf wie gegen die Sklaverei
Der moralische Fortschritt einer Gesellschaft, so heißt es oft, lässt sich an der Weise bemessen, wie sie mit ihren schwächsten Mitgliedern umgeht. Ein einzelner Schimpanse ist viel stärker als ein Mensch, doch als Species können wir Schimpansen als praktisch hilflose Gefangene in Zoos und Laboratorien halten (und tun es). Auch die Tiere, die wir als unsere Nahrung aufziehen, sind der menschlichen Macht unterworfen.
Are We Responsible for Our Choices?
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New Podcast Release: Meg Smaker
Meg is known for telling difficult stories, stories that explore the humanity of those we’re often encouraged to dismiss as evil. Her most recent film, The UnRedacted, follows four former Guantánamo detainees as they navigate life after their release. But rather than launch her career, the film triggered a backlash – from those who had never seen it - that saw Meg accused of being a white supremacist and blacklisted from the industry.
New Podcast Release: Tali Sharot
Tali’s work blends neuroscience and behavioural science to better understand how we think about the future, make decisions, and influence others. She’s best known for her research on optimism bias, our tendency to believe the future will turn out better than the information we have justifies us in believing, and how this cognitive bias can shape everything from health and happiness to political decisions and financial choices.
New Podcast Release: Josh Greene
Josh’s career has bridged the worlds of neuroscience, ethics, and behavioural science. Best known for his work on moral judgement and his influential book Moral Tribes, he has spent decades exploring how human psychology shapes our moral decisions and what that means for creating a better world.
The ethical crisis lurking in the background of the AI boom
Sign up for Big Think on Substack The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free. What happens when AI becomes conscious? Philosopher Peter Singer explores the ethical dilemma that could follow the creation of sentient machines. If AI can feel pain or experience pleasure, do we have a moral obligation to protect it? Singer argues that governments, scientists, and ethicists must prepare now for the rights and protections conscious AI may require.
New Podcast Release: Cyan Banister
Cyan’s life defies the usual arc of success. Raised on a Navajo reservation and homeless as a teenager, she is now one of Silicon Valley’s most distinctive investors, with early bets on companies like SpaceX and Uber, and a commitment to backing people and ideas that change the world.
New Podcast Release: Slavoj Žižek
Slavoj is one of the most recognisable voices in contemporary philosophy, known for his engagement with Hegel, Marx, and Lacan, and for connecting them to everything from theology to pop culture. This episode discusses love, communism, Christian atheism, and the search for meaning in a fractured world.
Are we protecting the vulnerable-or suppressing dissent?
The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free. In an era of cancel culture, outrage cycles, and the censorship of dissent, philosopher Peter Singer makes his case for freedom of thought and expression. Singer argues that silencing uncomfortable ideas doesn’t make us safer — it makes us less able to grow, reason, and solve the pressing issues of our time.
New Podcast Release: Cass Sunstein
Cass is widely known for pioneering the concept of “nudges”, subtle policy tools that preserve freedom while helping people make better choices. In this conversation, we explore how nudging can be used ethically, where it crosses the line into manipulation, and why behavioural science still holds promise for improving lives.
I’m on TIME’s 2025 Philanthropy List!
The list brings together people who have contributed to philanthropy in varying ways, from funding ambitious global health projects to challenging how we think about wealth, giving, and impact. It’s good to see that the significance of ideas like effective altruism is being recognized.
New Podcast Release: Lawrence Krauss
is best known for his work on the origins of the universe and the limits of knowledge, as well as for his unapologetically scientific worldview. In this episode, we explore what it means to live well in a universe without inherent meaning and why, for Lawrence, that makes life more precious, not less. We discuss his thoughts on cosmic insignificance, the rarity of consciousness, and the case for deriving ethics from reason rather than religion.
Francisco, sobre los animales
Cuando el cardenal Jorge Mario Bergoglio fue elegido papa en 2013, muchas personas progresistas albergaron grandes expectativas. ¿Se permitiría a los sacerdotes casarse? ¿O, más radical aún, abriría quizás la puerta a la ordenación de mujeres? Incluso hubo algunas señales de que podría reconocer las uniones entre personas del mismo sexo.
Peter Singer: Animal suffering is human responsibility
PETER SINGER: I'm Peter Singer. I'm Professor of Bioethics in the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University, and I'm the author of the just published book, "Animal Liberation Now." Part I: The argument for animal liberation. What was the impetus behind writing "Animal Liberation"?
New Podcast Release: Rutger Bregman
Rutger is known for Utopia for Realists and Humankind, books that challenge cynicism and argue for the feasibility of large-scale moral progress. In this episode, he reflects on a personal turning point, an early midlife crisis, and how it led him to move from writing about big ideas to trying to act on them. Bold Reasoning with Peter Singer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
New Podcast Release: Elizabeth Barnes
Elizabeth is known for her influential work on disability, wellbeing, and the philosophy of health. Drawing on both her academic research and her lived experience, she challenges common assumptions – including some of my own - about the impact of a disability on living a good life.
New Podcast Release: Thomas Nagel
In the latest episode of Lives Well Lived, the podcast I co-host with Kasia de Lazari-Radek, we talk to one of the most influential philosophers of our time, Thomas Nagel. Known for his landmark essay What Is It Like to Be a Bat?, Nagel has challenged generations of thinkers to grapple with the limits of objectivity, the nature of consciousness, and the role of reason in ethics.
New Podcast Release: Arthur C. Brooks
In the latest episode of Lives Well Lived, the podcast I co-host with Kasia de Lazari-Radek, we talk to social scientist Arthur Brooks about happiness: what it is, why it often eludes us, and how we can get better at pursuing it, and how we need to adjust to old age to continue to live happily.
New Podcast Release: Sigal Samuel
In the latest episode of Lives Well Lived, the podcast I co-host with Kasia de Lazari-Radek, we talk to Sigal Samuel, senior reporter at Vox and author of the philosophical advice column Your Mileage May Vary . In this episode we speak with Sigal Samuel about how to navigate moral complexity in everyday life, from giving effectively to caring for family, from honouring religious traditions to letting go of them.
Breakfast with Peter Singer: Reflections on Ethics, AI, and Moral Responsibility
I'm in Singapore, where I am a visiting professor at the Centre for Biomedical Ethics at the National University of Singapore. I recently had a breakfast meeting with Dr John Lee, a Buddhist scholar, and two others interested in ethics and Buddhism: Dr Leo Sai Hang Kwok, and Ow Yeong Wai Kit. Later Wai Kit sent me the blog post below, and with his permission, I'm sharing it with you.
New Podcast Release: David Duchovny
In the latest episode of Lives Well Lived, the podcast I co-host with Kasia de Lazari-Radek, we talk to David Duchovny, actor, writer, musician, and thinker, about art, meaning, and what it takes to live a thoughtful life. In this wide-ranging conversation, David reflects on the philosophical themes that run through his creative work, from The X-Files and Californication to his novels and music and how storytelling can be a vehicle for exploring big ideas about love, loss, truth, and belief.
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