Quotes by

Peter Singer

You might hold an ethical position that its wrong to lie, but if you have plans for a war in Iraq, and you want to keep them secret for practical reasons – to reduce casualties, perhaps – and someone asks you about those plans, you may need to lie for a good outcome. – Peter Singer

So, basically, my view is I dont want to support the exploitation of animals, and within reason, I will do what I can to avoid it, but its not like its a religion for me. Its not like I consider Im polluted if somehow some bit of milk or cheese or something passes my lips. – Peter Singer

In the sense that youre not at the centre of power, like a president or prime minister of a major power, everyone is marginalised my position doesnt isnt unique in that respect. I think there are different sorts of relevance in different contexts. – Peter Singer

I can tell you that too much money is corrupting American politics. Dont blame the American public. The U.S. Supreme Court has a lot to answer for, because it has made it impossible for Congress to reduce the corrupting influence of money on American political life. – Peter Singer

I dont understand the notion that modern farming is anything do to with nature. Its a pretty gross interference with nature. – Peter Singer

Im not overly alarmist about it, but I do think there are some worrying signs, like the growing accumulation of wealth by a very small proportion of the population, plus elections in the US are much more dominated by money than anywhere else calling itself a democracy. – Peter Singer

Its also much clearer how much damage the occupation of Iraq is doing to Americas reputation and prestige around the world and thats just starting now to hit home in the United States. – Peter Singer

Ancient recipients of instant news probably couldnt do very much about it, for instance. Xerxes would still need three months to get his army together, and he might not get home for years. – Peter Singer

I honestly dont know, but if America continues to refuse to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, I see a bleak future not only for American society, but for the world as a whole. This is a global problem that is not going away, and the United States is an obstacle to solving it. – Peter Singer

Bush is morally a universalist. For instance, he says the freedom is good, the same thing is good, all over the world. So in that sense hes a universalist. – Peter Singer

Bush sees the evil as out there in the wider world, residing in people who hate freedom. Look at his immediate response to the pictures of prisoner abuse this is not what Americans do, these are not our values. – Peter Singer

We need to recognise that what really matters isnt buying more and more consumer goods, but family, friends, and knowing that we are doing something worthwhile with our lives. Helping to reduce the appalling consequences of world poverty should be part of that reassessment. – Peter Singer

Thats a central part of philosophy, of ethics. What do I owe to strangers? What do I owe to my family? What is it to live a good life? Those are questions which we face as individuals. – Peter Singer

I dont think nationalism is alone holding the field its in contention with a lot of different things. – Peter Singer

We have a new generation of very rich people who want to do more with their money than buy a lot of expensive toys. They want to live meaningful lives. – Peter Singer

Knowledge is generally considered a good thing so, presumably, knowing more about how the U.S. thinks and operates around the world is also good. – Peter Singer

The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governments would have only two options: accept the Internet with its limitless possibilities of spreading information, or restrict Internet access to the ruling elite and turn your back on the 21st century, as North Korea has done. – Peter Singer

Every profession will have its rogues, of course, no matter what oaths are sworn, but many health care professionals have a real commitment to serving the best interests of their clients. – Peter Singer

In a democracy, citizens pass judgment on their government, and if they are kept in the dark about what their government is doing, they cannot be in a position to make well-grounded decisions. – Peter Singer

The new freedom of expression brought by the Internet goes far beyond politics. People relate to each other in new ways, posing questions about how we should respond to people when all that we know about them is what we have learned through a medium that permits all kinds of anonymity and deception. – Peter Singer