Animal Liberation Now
An updated argument for taking animal suffering seriously, examining farming, research, food choices and their wider consequences.
Author · 2023
Ethics in the Real World
90 Essays on Things That Matter — A Fully Updated and Expanded Edition
Ninety short essays bring ethical reasoning to everyday choices, public debates and our responsibilities to people and animals.
By Peter Singer.
- Publisher
- Princeton University Press
- First published
- 2016
- Pages
- 488
- Language
- English
- Edition
- Updated and expanded, 2023 (Princeton edition)
- ISBN
- 9780691237862
- Formats
- Paperback, Ebook
- Subject
- Animal ethics, Bioethics, Giving, Profit For Good
About the book
Ethics in the Real World brings Peter Singer’s practical philosophy into conversation with the choices and controversies of ordinary life. Across ninety brief essays, he considers how we treat animals, what we owe to people living in poverty, and how we should think about medicine, freedom, technology, and the environment.
The short format makes each piece a starting point for reflection or discussion. Singer asks readers to examine familiar assumptions, consider whose interests are affected, and follow the consequences of an argument. The collection ranges from questions about happiness and charitable giving to decisions about life and death, showing how ethical reasoning can inform both private choices and public policy.
This expanded 2023 edition includes 37 new essays. It revisits the collection for a changing world, including debates about pandemic ethics, artificial intelligence, and humanity’s future.
Key ideas
- Ethical reasoning in everyday life
- Responsibilities to people and other animals
- Public policy, freedom and emerging technologies
Inside the collection
The book moves between foundational questions about morality and concrete problems in contemporary life. Its short essays can be read in sequence or explored by subject. Three examples from the Princeton edition’s contents:
Does Anything Matter? — the status of moral judgments.
The Case for Going Vegan — the ethical implications of food choices.
Can Artificial Intelligence Be Ethical? — ethics and new technology.
Explore the book preview and contents for the full range of subjects. Preview and digital access depend on the provider and your location.
Reviews & praise
Published responses to the book, including its original 2016 edition.
“a convincing case for philosophy’s continued engagement with ethical questions that matter in the real world.”
Australian Book Review — quoted by Text Publishing
“Many pieces could well inspire conversations—and arguments—that deepen and complicate the crucial moral and ethical issues that Singer presents.”
Kirkus Reviews — review of the original 2016 edition
About this edition
The featured record describes the expanded Princeton University Press edition published in 2023: 488 pages, with paperback ISBN 9780691237862. The original collection appeared in 2016. Text Publishing’s 2023 Australian edition has 496 pages; its print and digital editions have their own ISBNs. Check the linked listing when choosing an edition.
Edition information: Princeton edition on Google Books · Text Publishing paperback · Text Publishing ebook.
Explore the ideas
Continue with Animal ethics, Bioethics, and Giving for connected books, articles, interviews, and podcast episodes already in this archive.
Practical Ethics
An introduction to applied ethics that tests moral principles against difficult questions about animals, poverty, medicine and the environment.
The Life You Can Save
An argument for responding to extreme poverty through effective giving, with practical ways to turn concern into action.
The Most Good You Can Do
An exploration of effective altruism through the choices of people trying to make their time, careers and donations do more good.