In Conversation with Peter Singer | Utilitarianism: Avoiding Common Misunderstandings and Responding to Objections
Utilitarianism is often misunderstood, its formulation, implications, and its justification. In this conversation, world-renowned philosopher and 2021 Berggruen Prize Laureate Peter Singer will clearly define what Utilitarianism is, explain what it implies, philosophically and practically, and respond to common objections to Utilitarianism.
Language: English, with Simultaneous Translation into Chinese
Available online: https://space.bilibili.com/526209453
Speaker
Peter Singer
Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics, Emeritus, Princeton University
2021 Berggruen Prize Laureate
Peter Singer was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1946, and educated at the University of Melbourne and the University of Oxford. After teaching in England, the United States and Australia, he was, from 1999-2023, the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics in the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University. He first became well-known internationally after the publication of Animal Liberation in 1975. His other books include: Practical Ethics, The Expanding Circle, How Are We to Live?, Rethinking Life and Death, Pushing Time Away, The Life You Can Save, The Point of View of the Universe (co-authored with Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek), Ethics in the Real World, Animal Liberation Now, and The Buddhist and the Ethicist (co-authored with Shih Chao-Hwei).
In 2012 Singer was made a Companion of the Order of Australia, the nation’s highest civic honor. He founded the charity The Life You Can Save and is a founding co-editor of the Journal of Controversial Ideas. In 2021, he was awarded the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture, and in 2023, he shared, with Steven Pinker, the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Humanities and Social Sciences.
Commentators
Tongdong BAI
Dongfang Chair Professor of Philosophy, Fudan University
Ordinary Academician, The Pointifical Academy of Social Sciences
Bai’s research interests include Chinese philosophy and political philosophy. He has two books published in English: China: The Political Philosophy of the Middle Kingdom (Zed Books, 2012), and Against Political Equality: The Confucian Case (Princeton University Press, 2019). He is now working on the philosophy of Han Fei Zi (c. 280-233 BCE), a “Legalist” and a harsh critic of Confucians, as well as a real-life princeling who is often compared with Machiavelli and Hobbes. He is also the director of an English-based MA and visiting program in Chinese philosophy at Fudan University that is intended to promote the studies of Chinese philosophy in the world.
Xiaofei LIU
Professor, School of Philosophy, Wuhan University
Liu works in moral philosophy, moral responsibility, discrimination, and experimental philosophy. He has published a book on moral responsibility in Chinese, Responsibility and Normativity: A Theory of Moral Responsibility, and numerous articles in renowned journals such as Mind, Philosophical Studies, and Philosophical Psychology.
TJ TIAN
Associate Professor, School of Philosophy, Renmin University of China
Tian’s research interests focus on issues on collective action, moral responsibility, and democratic theory. In 2021, she published a book titled Understanding Collective Responsibility, which examines how individuals and groups fulfill moral and political responsibilities within a collective framework. Tian writes a column on utilitarianism for The Thinker Magazine.
Moderator
Zhilin LI
Founder and CEO, CharityBox
Fellow, The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Zhilin is the Founder and CEO of CharityBox, leading the team in China to explore and identify the best donating channels. His goal is to maximize the social impact of charitable donations. He has a strong interest in unifying distributive justice and utilitarianism, and how to live a moral life. Zhilin has extensive experience working with think tanks, and grassroots organizations. He has worked in the advocacy department of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and as an intern research assistant at the Berggruen Research Center at Peking University. Zhilin graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a degree in Political Philosophy and Economics.
About the Global Thinkers Series
The Global Thinkers Series invites thinkers who have deep insights into the evolution of different civilizations and the grand narratives of world history to share their knowledge and wisdom. It is hoped that with strengthened understanding and trust between different civilizations, we can help remove the intolerance, arrogance, and misunderstanding that have come to characterize contemporary geopolitics.
About the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture
Established in 2016, the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture is a $1 million award given annually to an individual whose ideas have profoundly shaped human self-understanding and advancement in a rapidly changing world. The Prize was first awarded to Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor for his impact on the humanities, social sciences, and public affairs in deepening understanding among different intellectual traditions and civilization. Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve was the 2017 Berggruen Prize Laureate for her work as a citizen philosopher who has elevated the quality of public life and improved the very vocabulary of public discourse. In 2018, public and moral philosopher Martha C. Nussbaum received the award for her framework for thinking about human capabilities, and exploring vulnerability, fear, and anger in moral and political life. In 2019, Former Associate Justice Ginsburg was recognized for her life’s work in pioneering gender equality and strengthening the rule of law. During a year marked by the global pandemic, 2020, the Prize was awarded to Paul Farmer for his work advancing global public health equity. In 2021, utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer received the Prize for his ethical framework for animal rights, effective altruism, and the global eradication of poverty. The 2022 Berggruen Prize honored philosopher and literary critic Kojin Karatani for his radically original contributions to modern philosophy, the history of philosophy, and political thinking. Most recently, in 2023, foundational sociologist Dr. Patricia Hill Collins was honored for her pivotal contributions to the understanding and development of intersectionality. This year’s Berggruen Prize Jury, chaired by Antonio Damasio, is an international group of scholars and writers including David Chalmers, Yuk Hui, Siri Hustvedt, Carlo Rovelli, Elif Shafak, and Wang Hui. The Berggruen Institute administers the Prize and welcomes nominations of those whose ideas have both intellectual depth and long-term social and practical value across nations and cultures.