The Economist
“The father of Effective Altruism”
Philosophy & public life
Peter Singer
A philosopher concerned with how we live — and the lives of others.
Peter Singer works in practical ethics. His writing examines our responsibilities to other animals and to people living in poverty. He is the author of Animal Liberation and The Life You Can Save. He co-hosts Lives Well Lived with Kasia de Lazari-Radek.
The Atlantic
“One of the world’s leading living philosophers”
The New York Times
“The most controversial philosopher of our time”
The troubling ethics of crowdfunding
When medical need meets viral attention, who gets helped—and who gets left behind?
When Misinformation Kills
Project Syndicate · 2 Feb 2026
AI Alignment: The Case for Including Animals
Philosophy & Technology · 14 Oct 2025
A Paradigm Shift on Animal Testing
Project Syndicate · 8 Oct 2025
Circling the Good
New York Review of Books · 24 Apr 2025
Books by Peter Singer
Explore topics
01
Animal ethics
Singer’s work asks us to give equal consideration to comparable interests, regardless of species. Animal Liberation exposed the suffering created by factory farming and animal experimentation, while arguing that species membership alone cannot justify disregarding suffering.
02
Global poverty & effective giving
Beginning with “Famine, Affluence, and Morality,” Singer has argued that distance does not diminish our duty to prevent avoidable suffering. The Life You Can Save and The Most Good You Can Do translate that argument into practical choices about giving, careers, and impact.
03
Bioethics
Singer applies philosophical reasoning to decisions about life and death, medical treatment, reproductive technology, embryo research, disability, and genetic selection. His work challenges the traditional idea that human life is sacred in every circumstance.
04
Practical ethics
Across his work, Singer treats ethics as a guide to action rather than an abstract exercise. He asks what follows when we reason consistently about the interests of strangers, future generations, nonhuman animals, and the planet.
Lives Well Lived podcast
careers in the age of AI with Ben Todd (opens in a new tab)
Altruistic Kidney Donation with Elaine Perlman and Joshua Morrison (opens in a new tab)
Raising Children in the AI Era with Dana Suskind (opens in a new tab)
Beyond the page
Organizations & public work
The Life You Can Save
Resources for learning about effective giving and helping people living in extreme poverty.
→Lives Well Lived
Conversations with Peter Singer and Kasia de Lazari Radek about ethical, fulfilling lives and making a positive difference.
→Journal of Controversial Ideas
An open-access academic forum for careful discussion of controversial ideas.
→Profit for Good
An initiative connecting business profits with charitable giving.
→PeterSinger.AI
An experimental AI interface for exploring Peter Singer’s ideas.
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