Philosopher Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation, speaks in Malta visit

One of the best known living professors of philosopher, anti-poverty and animal liberation campaigner Peter Singer, to deliver annual philosophy lecture

Philosopher Peter Singer
Philosopher Peter Singer

Malta’s Philosophy Sharing Foundation will be hosting eminent philosopher Peter Singer, the Australian author of ‘Animal Liberation’, which levied the charge that human beings’ discrimination between other species was not morally justified.

The first event will be held on Monday, 30 May at the German Maltese Circle, 6pm in an open forum utilitarianism with Polish philosopher Prof. Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek, who co-wrote ‘A Short Introduction on Utilitarianism’ with Prof. Singer. The forum will be chaired by Professor Claude Mangion, Head of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Malta.

Place are limited to 80 persons at €20 for non-members, €10 for paid members, students and senior citizens. 

The second event will be held on Tuesday, 31 Mat at the Grand Hotel Excelsior at 6pm, where Singer will deliver the Annual Philosophy Lecture on ethics and animals and global poverty and effective altruism. Entrance €28/€14 (concessions).

Born in Melbourne, 1946, Peter Singer became internationally well-known after the publication of ‘Animal Liberation’ in 1975, a challenge to morally justify the way in which humans discriminate between their own species and others. His conclusions were that such discrimination cannot be morally justified and that the majority of human beings are guilty of what he termed ‘speciesism’.

Like Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mills, Peter Singer is a utilitarian consequentialist who believes that the best action is the one that produces the best result. To work out the best results, Peter Singer maintains that the interests of animals should be taken into account – for they, like humans, share the same capacity to feel pain.

In recent years, Peter Singer has been focusing on the need to eradicate poverty on a global level. He has co-founded the organisation The Life You Can Save based on the ideas of his book that carries the same name.

“Whether one agrees or not with Peter Singer’s views, it cannot be denied that he adopts a consistent approach to moral questions and supports his arguments with reasoned arguments informed by well researched facts,” Philosophy Sharing Foundation spokesperson Ian Rizzo said.

 In 2005, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2012, he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia, the nation’s highest order.

Earlier this week, Singer was awarded the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture in Los Angeles. He will be donating the entire award he won from this prize to charity.

Peter Singer is professor of bioethics at Princeton University and laureate professor at the University of Melbourne. His books include ‘Practical Ethics, Rethinking Life and Death’, ‘Ethics in the Real World’ and most recently: ‘Utilitarianism: A Very Short Introduction’, co-authored with Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek.