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Peter Singer

Peter Singer

Writing for PS since 2001
237 commentaries
1 videos & podcasts

Peter Singer, Founder of the nonprofit organization The Life You Can Save, is Emeritus Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. His books include Animal Liberation, Practical Ethics, The Ethics of What We Eat (with Jim Mason), Rethinking Life and Death, The Point of View of the Universe, co-authored with Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek, The Most Good You Can Do, Famine, Affluence, and Morality, One World Now, Ethics in the Real WorldWhy Vegan?, and Utilitarianism: A Very Short Introduction, also with Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek. In April 2021, W.W. Norton published his new edition of Apuleius’s The Golden Ass. In 2013, he was named the world's third "most influential contemporary thinker" by the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute. He is a co-author (with Shih Chao-Hwei) of The Buddhist and the Ethicist (Shambhala Publications, 2023).

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  1. Protesting Ethically
    singer235_DAVID CANTINIAUXAFPTVAFP via Getty Images_mona lisa DAVID CANTINIAUX/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images

    Protesting Ethically

    Sep 3, 2024 Peter Singer & Martin Skladany apply four tests of proportionality to nonviolent demonstrations in democratic societies.

  2. Will We Survive the Next 100 Years?
    singer234_Westend61_worldbreaking Westend61/Getty Images

    Will We Survive the Next 100 Years?

    Aug 7, 2024 Peter Singer urges governments to treat existential risks to our species with the seriousness they deserve.

  3. Will Biden Spoil It All?
    singer233_ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDSAFP via Getty Images_biden ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

    Will Biden Spoil It All?

    Jul 2, 2024 Peter Singer thinks the US president should step aside, or, like other one-time heroes, risk tarnishing his legacy.

  4. Organ Donation Can Save Donors’ Lives, Too
    singer232_Leon NealAFP via Getty Images_organdonation Leon Neal/AFP via Getty Images

    Organ Donation Can Save Donors’ Lives, Too

    Jun 19, 2024 Peter Singer shows why a recipient of a new liver or kidney is not necessarily the only one who benefits.

  5. When Is Criticism of Israel Anti-Semitic?
    singer231_Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images_college protests Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    When Is Criticism of Israel Anti-Semitic?

    May 9, 2024 Peter Singer rejects comparisons of the recent US campus protests to the actions of Nazi student groups in the 1930s.

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  1. johnson180_JIM WATSONAFP via Getty Images_kamala harris JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

    Only Harris Will Deliver Shared Prosperity

    Simon Johnson says that Donald Trump’s discredited protectionism would benefit the few at the expense of the many.
  2. roubini191_JOHN WESSELSAFP via Getty Images_israelmissiles John Wessels/AFP via Getty Images

    Israel and Iran Are Likely to Escalate

    Nouriel Roubini rejects the widespread view that the conflict will be contained after the latest exchange of attacks.
  3. stiglitz343_ChipSomodevillaGettyImages_trump_goofy Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    The Perils of a Trump-Musk Economy

    Joseph E. Stiglitz

    Donald Trump is offering a vision of crony rentier capitalism that has enticed many captains of industry and finance. In catering to their wishes for more tax cuts and less regulation, he would make most Americans’ lives poorer, harder, and shorter.

    explains what a Republican victory in the 2024 election would mean for most Americans’ standard of living.
  4. galbraith37_Anna MoneymakerGetty Images_elonmusktrump Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    Elon Musk Gets Trump’s Economic Plans Partly Right

    James K. Galbraith argues that only a tycoon could love Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs, deportations, and spending cuts.
  5. velasco153_MaximShemetovGettyImages_brics_kazan1 Maxim Shemetov/Getty Images

    The Futile Search for a Dollar Rival

    Andrés Velasco sees no progress on the part of the BRICS to challenge America’s monetary hegemony.
  6. melamed2_Santosh KumarHindustan Times via Getty Images_census Santosh Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

    Democracy’s Data Paradox

    Claire Melamed explains why reliable information is crucial to maintaining the integrity of political institutions.
  7. op_badre2_Joan CrosNurPhoto via Getty Images_francestartuptech Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Europe’s Existential AI Challenge

    Bertrand Badré & Charles Ferguson

    The outcome of the AI race could determine the global distribution of wealth and power for generations to come, and Europe is already lagging far behind China, the United States, Israel, Taiwan, and many others. Overhauling the EU's sclerotic, Kafkaesque startup ecosystem has never been more urgent.

    explain what is wrong with the EU technology startup system, and what to do about it.
  8. gelfand3_ Kevin DietschGetty Images_harris Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

    Harris or Chaos

    Michele Gelfand explains what is really at stake in the 2024 US presidential election.
  9. aghion9_ALAIN JOCARDAFP via Getty Images_barnier ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images

    A Weak French Government’s Fiscal Reckoning

    Philippe Aghion & Bénédicte Berner warns that the absence of a parliamentary majority is likely to impede efforts to restore sustainable growth.

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