Ethics in the Real World
by Peter Singer, Princeton, £19.95
According to Princeton’s blurb-writer, Singer “is often described as the world’s most influential philosopher”. Philosophically what is important, of course, is whether his influence is for the good or the bad, and to test that, it is helpful to look at these 82 rather journalistic essays on “things that matter” – topics indeed much-debated in the contemporary Western world and beyond. One must grant to Singer that although in these essays he writes in a breezy, non-technical style, he appears at times to pack considerable logical punch. That impression may on reflection turn out to be superficial.
