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Controversial Philosopher Peter Singer comes to Connecticut College Oct. 23

Peter Singer
Peter Singer

Controversial philosopher Peter Singer is coming to Connecticut College to discuss his most recent book, "The Life You Can Save," in which he argues that people in affluent countries should give generously to help fight world poverty, Friday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m. A highly respected academic and well recognized public figure, Singer, the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, is considered by some to be the pre-eminent philosopher of our time. He is perhaps most famous for his book, "Animal Liberation," which is widely considered to provide the base argument for the Animal Liberation Movement, also called the Animal Rights Movement. Recently, he published a piece in The New York Times Magazine, titled, "Why We Must Ration Health Care."

Singer will be joined by a panel of Connecticut College professors, including economists Maria Cruz-Saco and Purba Mukerji, philosopher Simon Feldman and psychologist Stuart Vyse, and by Alice Fitzpatrick, president of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Connecticut, for the discussion, "If I Can Save A Life, Should I? Affluence, Morality and the Problem of World Poverty."

On the Connecticut College campus, Singer's upcoming visit has already generated a great deal of excitement. "Singer's broad body of work goes beyond philosophy and has deep pragmatic implications for raising important questions about the moral responsibility of the affluent and the privileged in sharing their wealth and resources with the impoverished mass of humanity," Connecticut College Professor Sunil Bhatia said.

This event, which is part of Connecticut College's Fall Weekend celebration, will be in John C. Evans Hall, Cummings Arts Center, and is free and open to the public.



October 21, 2009