Singer, but no songwriter

You may not have ever heard of Peter Singer, but he has, unbeknownst to you, had a pretty significant impact on your life.

Peter Singer is the father of the philosophical concept of animal rights. It is a quarter of a century now since this Australian philosopher, currently a professor of bioethics at Princeton University in the USA, fist published his book, Animal Rights. In the intervening 25 years, the book has sold half a million copies. More significantly, it has galvanised the entire animal rights movement, today surely the most dynamic ­ not to mention controversial ­ liberation movement in the developed world.

Of course, for many the very mention of animal rights presupposes fanatical ALF activists who believe they are justified in taking any action in defence of animals. This is a recent aberration of Singer's principled philosophical inquiry, which is simple to understand, beautifully expressed, and wholly ethical. In fact, Singer is truly controversial not on the subject of animal rights but on the question of euthanasia.

But, if you want a snapshot of how this brilliant thinker works, then grab a copy of Writings on an Ethical Life, a collection of pieces from his many books of ethics, animal rights and other topics. And don't be put off by the idea of buying a book of 'philosophical' essays: Singer writes simply, indeed passionately, and teases out inspired answers to profound questions in a logical and unselfconscious way.

It's our prediction that animal welfare, along with environmental welfare, will be the big topic of the next decade. If you want to know where it began, the moving and articulate analysis in Writings On An Ethical Life, will bring you up to speed.

Peter Singer, Writings On An Ethical Life (4th Estate, STG 15.00)
Website: www.4thestate.co.uk

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