Peter Singer: Evolution versus Ethics

While evolution is neutral with regard to values, Peter Singer tackles the question of altruism's place in evolution's "survival of the fittest" campaign, explaining how reciprocal and trusting relationships generally make for success.

Then Singer humbles us with the reminder that innate judgements are neither necessarily correct, nor better than other judgements. He proposes that human kind has evolved to prefer those who are like us, and suggests humanity is at its best when showing it can move beyond this paradigm.

This event is co-presented with Think Global School.

Peter Singer has been a Professor of Bioethics in the University Centre for Human Values at Princeton University since 1999. From 2005 on, he has also held the part-time position of Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne, whilst teaching at Oxford University, La Trobe University and Monash. Singer was the founding President of the International Association of Bioethics, and founding co-editor of the journal Bioethics. Outside his academic life, he is the co-founder and President of The Great Ape Project, an international effort to obtain basic rights for chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans. He is also President of Animal Rights International. Singer's books include "Animal Liberation", "Democracy and Disobedience", "Practical Ethics", "The Expanding Circle, Should the Baby Live?", "How Are We to Live?, Rethinking Life and Death", "Ethics into Action, How Ethical is Australia?", "The Way We Eat" and "The Life You Can Save".

Brad Ovenell-Carter is Head of School and world literature teacher at the "Think Global School", the world's first international, mobile high school.

Huw Price is ARC Federation Fellow and Challis Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sydney, where he heads the Centre for Time in the Department of Philosophy, SOPHI. He was previously Professor of Logic and Metaphysics at the University of Edinburgh. He was awarded a second Federation Fellowship in 2007.

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