The website "On the Human" has an excerpt on killing animals from the new third edition of Peter Singer's book Practical Ethics, with commentary from Jan Narveson, Mark Bernstein, Lori Gruen, R. G. Frey and others. Good reading.
Great stuff. Now the question is, how many science-fiction movies could be generated from that discussion, and do we have an obligation to create those movies if they would bring great pleasure to people who do not yet exist, but who would be brought into existence by the causal ripples occasioned by our creating those movies, assuming of course that several of the fatter ones would eventually be pushed off overpasses into the path of runaway trolleys?
Yes, we must create all the movies! Now I need to order Practical Ethics 3e. Singer's discussion of the replacement argument here is much fuller than in 2e.
Great stuff. Now the question is, how many science-fiction movies could be generated from that discussion, and do we have an obligation to create those movies if they would bring great pleasure to people who do not yet exist, but who would be brought into existence by the causal ripples occasioned by our creating those movies, assuming of course that several of the fatter ones would eventually be pushed off overpasses into the path of runaway trolleys?
ReplyDeleteYes, we must create all the movies! Now I need to order Practical Ethics 3e. Singer's discussion of the replacement argument here is much fuller than in 2e.
ReplyDelete