Ethics in the Real World

Reviews / Votes

"[Singer] is persuasive on so many topics that he makes you wish we could turn the world off, then on again, in an attempt to reset it."---Dwight Garner, New York Times "A terrific recent book . . . that wrestles with how much we should donate to charity, and whether wearing a $10,000 watch is a sign of good taste, or of shallow narcissism."---Nicholas Kristof, New York Times "Could well inspire conversations-and arguments-that deepen and complicate the crucial moral and ethical issues that Singer presents." * Kirkus Reviews * "An accessible introduction to the work of a philosopher who would not regard being described as 'accessible' as an insult. . . . Despite their brevity, the essays do not shirk the big moral questions." * The Economist * "Philosophy should be a more public endeavor, and Singer's work is an excellent entry point. In a fall that will be shaped by a political contest in many ways detached from genuinely pressing moral issues, it might also serve as a refreshingly complex source of ethical questioning."---Talya Zax, Forward "Singer demonstrates how to write pungently and succinctly about moral philosophy."---Daniel Johnson, Standpoint "The essays in the present volume address issues well beyond Singer's normal range of commentary. In sum, this book not only provides a broad-based introduction to Singer (1)s moral philosophy but also will serve . . . as an excellent textbook for any course in applied ethics. For philosophers, Singer's work provides a model for how to transition from the ivory tower to the domain of public philosophy." * Choice * "Singer is a provocative, well-informed and hands-on philosopher, with a lucid and engaging writing style. The collection provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of themes that are central to Singer's ethics. . . . His essays are well-structured, engaging, and exemplarily clear. Moreover, his arguments tend to be nuanced and non-dogmatic, in spite of his well-known ethical agenda: here is an ethicist not looking for arguments to support a preconceived conclusion, but sincerely pondering the implications of his utilitarian stance."---Jeroen Hopster, Erasmus Journal for Philosophy and Economics "Inspiring and enlivening; each essay is an easily digested nugget of acute, inventive reasoning and moral urgency, focused on practical, achievable results and the resistance of lazy, dogmatic thinking. . . . Any reader will find the book accessible; every reader will find it both thought-provoking and challenging."---Shane N. Glackin, Quarterly Review of Biology "The way Singer approaches his subject matter is awesome and instructive. He picks up news, anniversaries, but also personal encounters, and-within three or four sentences-shows the deeper ethical questions that lie behind these snippets."---Jan Friedrich, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice "This is a lovable book which deserves to be read and discussed."---Tommi Lehtonen, European Legacy "This book of clear analysis and challenging thinking encourages readers towards radical shifts of thinking and action."---David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer "Quick, punchy and clear. . . . [Singer] has an enviable mastery of his form, and the book provides a representative introduction to the breadth of his public thought."---Simone Gubler, Times Literary Supplement "Singer is to be applauded for bringing philosophy out of the academic classroom and into, as the title of this book suggests, the "real world," and for his classical understanding of and approach to philosophy, especially ethics, as essentially "practical," as bearing upon how one should live."---Steven L. Johnson, Society