ETHICS IN THE REAL WORLD

Only read this clearly articulated and thought-provoking book if you are prepared to rethink your views and be put ethically on the spot – caveat lector! Peter Singer has been writing on bioethics for over 40 years, with affiliations to Melbourne and Princeton and I was not surprised to read of a family conversation in the car when one of his daughters asked him if he would rather they were clever or happy, implying that one could not be both simultaneously – he does not in fact record his response…This book consists of 82 essays and syndicated columns on 'things that matter', with the overall headings of big questions, animals, beyond the ethic of the sanctity of life, bioethics and public health, sex and gender, doing good, happiness, politics, global governance, science and technology, and finally living, playing, working. In other words, a comprehensive range of key ethical issues and areas.

Singer begins by observing that we all make ethical choices, often unconsciously and that ethics is more than just observing rules; it includes the good we can do to those less fortunate than ourselves, including future generations and animals. In a relatively short review it is only possible to highlight a few areas and issues, beginning with animals. He makes a reasoned case for veganism and discusses the Japanese assertion that whaling is a cultural issue – not for Singer since whaling involves inflicting suffering on sentient beings and in the case of whales they cannot be humanely killed as harpoons entail a slow and painful death. He argues that not causing needless suffering is a universal and not a culturally specific values. Americans celebrating Thanksgiving by eating one of 46 million factory-farmed turkeys should read his eye-opening piece on this topic. Broad Breasted Whites are incapable of mating so the males have to be masturbated upside down by hand then the females are forcibly inseminated – truly repellent food for thought.

The essays covering bioethics and health are especially stimulating, treating such issues as abortion in developing countries, interventions in the final year of life (representing 27% of total health care costs in the US), euthanasia and kidneys for sale. In terms of resource use, consider the choice between expensive treatments administered to terminal patients compared with helping families below the poverty line. Cigarettes are an example of how to balance public health with private freedom – the death toll in the 20th century was 100 million and is expected to rise to 1 billion in the 21st century, raising the question of whether we are the best judges of our own interests. Rising obesity increases fuel use on planes, so it has been calculated that an average 2 kg rise in average weight since 2000 costs an extra $472 in fuel between Sydney and London – should heavier passengers therefore pay more?

A discussion of virtual vices addresses the connection between video games and violence in terms of who is harmed, noting that there has not been any serious debate within the industry over the last 10 years about the ethics of producing violent games; since the risk is so great, Singer argues that we cannot wait for proof. He conducts a nuanced exploration of the issue of private acts in relation to public office. The essays on Doing Good directly address readers: are we justified in not contributing 1% of our income to good causes while indulging in luxuries? The opportunity cost of a case of good wine or an exclusive watch or phone might involve saving the life of a child. If we donate, should we do so to a new wing of an art museum or towards a campaign to prevent trachoma? Here we can rationally weigh costs and benefits. If we have sufficient wealth to buy expensive art as a form of conspicuous consumption, are we also contributing proportionately to charitable causes? An inspiring example in this respect was Sir John Templeton with his large charitable foundation always staying in a modest room at the Royal Overseas League in London.

Under politics and global governance, Singer addresses themes such as open diplomacy, citizenship and security, the integrity of George W Bush, the ethics of a statue for Stalin, the use and abuse of religious freedom, and the refugee crisis. Here he recommends that affluent countries should be giving more support to less affluent ones supporting large numbers of refugees like Lebanon, Jordan, Ethiopia and Pakistan where the cost is also lower. He urges us to hold big food companies to account by becoming better informed about the food we consume and being influenced by ethics as well as price. At Rio 2012 he finds out that meat is on the menu despite the well documented evidence of methane from cattle as a major source of greenhouse gas accumulation. Reducing meat consumption would limit GHG emissions, yet the number of farm animals raised annually is expected to double to 120 billion by 2050.

This book of clear analysis and challenging thinking encourages readers towards radical shifts of thinking and action, not merely the kind of thinking that Bertrand Russell called rearranging your prejudices.