Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7
Peter Singer is Ira W. DeCamp Professor Emeritus of Bioethics in the Department of Philosophy at Princeton University. He is among the most influential living philosophers, and among the most influential moral philosophers of the last century. Peter is best known for his work in applied ethics on animal welfare and global poverty. In this episode, Robinson and Peter discuss these topics after first introducing his more general views on moral philosophy, including those on utilitarianism and meta-ethics. Throughout their conversation they also touch on Peter’s new podcast, Lives Well Lived, co-hosted with Kasia de Lazari Radek, the Journal of Controversial Ideas, Peter’s Substack, Bold Reasoning with Peter Singer, and his latest and next books, which are respectively The Buddhist and the Ethicist (Shambhala, 2023) and Consider the Turkey (Princeton, 2024).
Peter’s Website: https://www.petersinger.info
Lives Well Lived Podcast: https://shows.acast.com/6628460c6b51e80012b834c2
The Life You Can Save Organization: https://www.thelifeyoucansave.org.au
The Journal of Controversial Ideas: https://journalofcontroversialideas.org
Peter’s Substack: https://boldreasoningwithpetersinger.substack.com
The Buddhist and the Ethicist: https://a.co/d/38DOmbK
Consider the Turkey: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691231686/consider-the-turkey
OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
04:14 Peter Singer’s Entry into Philosophy
13:12 On Trolley Problems and Moral Facts
20:51 On Hedonistic Utilitarianism
33:43 A Puzzle About Trolley Problems
49:38 Is It Ever Morally Permissible to Eat Meat?
1:03:07 Famine, Affluence, and Morality
1:10:50 The Buddhist and the Ethicist
1:18:08 The Journal of Controversial Ideas
1:25:50 Peter’s Substack
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, and everyone in-between.