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Peter Singer
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Ethics Into Action: Henry Spira and the Animal Rights Movement by Peter Singer (1999-11-23) Paperback

by Peter Singer (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 29 ratings
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Henry Spira's extraordinary life as an activist shows that an individual can make a difference. Inspired by the thinking of Peter Singer in the early 1970's, Henry turned Singer's ethical lessons into action, launching campaigns against organizations whose practices caused unnecessary suffering to animals. By thinking about how giant corporations, including Revlon, Avon, Perdue, and McDonald's, might be vulnerable, he found ways to change their practices and save the lives and health of animals all over the United States. This book tells the inspiring story of a lifelong activist whose creativity and careful thought set the standard for the animal rights movement in the twentieth century.
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    English
  2. Publisher
    Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
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  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01NCQBL6G
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 29 ratings

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Peter Singer

Peter Singer

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Peter Singer is sometimes called "the world’s most influential living philosopher" although he thinks that if that is true, it doesn't say much for all the other living philosophers around today. He has also been called the father (or grandfather?) of the modern animal rights movement, even though he doesn't base his philosophical views on rights, either for humans or for animals.

Singer is known especially for his work on the ethics of our treatment of animals, for his controversial critique of the sanctity of life doctrine in bioethics, and for his writings on the obligations of the affluent to aid those living in extreme poverty.

Singer first became well-known internationally after the publication of Animal Liberation in 1975. In 2011 Time included Animal Liberation on its “All-TIME” list of the 100 best nonfiction books published in English since the magazine began, in 1923. In 2023, Singer published Animal Liberation Now, in order to bring the book fully up to date.

Singer has written, co-authored, edited or co-edited more than 50 books, including Practical Ethics; The Expanding Circle; How Are We to Live?, Rethinking Life and Death, The Ethics of What We Eat (with Jim Mason), The Point of View of the Universe (with Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek), The Most Good You Can Do, Ethics in the Real World and Utilitarianism: A Very Short Introduction (with Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek). His works have appeared in more than 30 languages.

Singer’s book The Life You Can Save, first published in 2009, led him to found a non-profit organization of the same name. In 2019, Singer regained the rights to the book and granted them to the organization, enabling it to make the eBook and audiobook versions available free from its website, www.thelifeyoucansave.org.

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 has, since 1999, been Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics in the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University. He is married, with three daughters and four grandchildren. His recreations include hiking and surfing. In 2012 he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia, the nation’s highest civic honour, and in 2021 he was awarded the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
29 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jennifer D. Walker
5.0 out of 5 stars Little Seeds of Practical Idealism
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2006
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I stumbled across a glowing recommendation for this book within a blog entry posted by a fellow vegan. I was intrigued, given Peter Singer's name on the dust jacket -- his book on Animal Rights, which is written in such a memorably concise, levelheaded and rational fashion, ranks right up there as one of the penultimate reasons I decided to go vegan, myself.

That little sense of intrigue was more than well rewarded by what I found in this book. Henry Spira's story is downright inspiring (to such an extent, while reading this slim bio, the bad punster in me couldn't help toying with the subject's name: "Henry Spira's in-SPIRA-tional". If you're not groaning, you should be).

The practice of veganism can raise discomforting questions -- how does a compassionate individual with a strong sense of personal ethics grapple with a profoundly careless world in which cruelty is commonplace to the point of mundanity and concern for the disenfranchised may seem alien to the point of provoking fear, even open hostility in others? What happens when a compassion for the voiceless develops into an inured hostility toward those who are careless? How can an ethical individual work toward reducing unnecessary suffering while continuing to extend compassion even to those who create that selfsame unnecessary suffering?

Henry Spira responded to such open ended questions by focusing on action. How could he, as one individual, work to bring about the greatest cessation of animal suffering possible? His answer -- via a mastery of relentless focus, indefatiguable optimisim, careful planning and a ceaseless upwelling of drive -- made him a matchless force within the movement toward animal rights.

I noticed, as I reading this book, that Mr. Singer's writing style seemed a bit rough in some places. Initially, I chalked this up to the notion that philosophy and storytelling, though similiar, are fundamentally divergent if equally challenging forms of communication. The real reason for this narrational shakiness, however, is revealed towards the end of the book and works as a spurringly poignant denoument.

I'd recommend this book to anyone -- vegan or omnivore, activist or armchair guerrilla -- because, at heart, it is more than the story of one lesser known hero from the folds of the animal rights movement; it is a roadmap to dynamic compassion, the pinnacle win-win.
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Y. Lu
5.0 out of 5 stars Deep insight, amazing stories, wonderful book
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2006
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The story of Henry himself is amazing enough, but this wonderful book is even more than that. Weaved into the life story of Henry are the stories of so many other people.

There are those who are not as famous but nonethless critical to all the achievements, like the donors who supported Henry, like the volunteers who handled the daily work, like Henry's advisors who turned his idea into concrete actions, like the numerous individuals who gave followed his call to write letters or picket or take any other action.

Then there are also those sincere and good people who is not in the "movement". There is Senator Lombardi who gave Henry a fair hearing, and Roger Shelley from Revlon who believed there is a win-win solution, and Susan Fowler of 'Lab Animal' who interviewed Henry the anti-vivisectionist.

And then there are also those who are apparently on the side of the "movement" but cared more about themselves. There are the researchers who abuse money donated by people and industry, and there are groups who seem to care more about getting people's donation and their personal glory than helping victims.

And then there are people who seem to really believe that everything on earth are just for their personal gain. From the hideous boss of NMU to the cat-vivisectionist Aronson, from "tough" guy Frank Purdue to the more scheming Leon Hirsch.

There is such a rich spectrum of people in this book, it is worth reading even if you don't agree with anything else from Peter Singer.

There are also many hilarious stories. The visit of congressman Koch to the cat experiment lab, the "biological fluid collection units", and the story about the super comdom for the chicken-in-a-comdom ad.

This book is definitely worth reading, and not just once. Each time I turned the pages and got to the part where Henry told the author that he's got the cancer, my heart sank like a rock. Oh, no, not him, not so early, please. I really wish Henry is still with us today, the whole world might be a different place.
3 people found this helpful
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Boris Yakubchik
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for activists!
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2013
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This book is a must-read for anyone who is into activism. The first chapter you can skip if you're in a hurry (it goes through a short biography of this amazing man). The rest of the book is GOLD!

Henry has single-handedly, through careful planning, won important battles against multinational corporations. With his immense contribution, the beauty industry no longer does tests on animals - because through Henry's persistence they developed new, more-effective and cheaper ways of testing beauty products!

The book isn't just a story about how one man did so much good work - it will help you understand a process and strategy for making large positive changes within society. READ NOW, and GO DO GOOD!
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chris2011
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a an excellent book about ethics not only where being a vegan ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2017
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I bought this book when I was a vegan. Well I am no longer one but am considering buying myself another copy.

This is a an excellent book about ethics not only where being a vegan is concerned but one can apply it to many professions like sales, counselor and attorney. Many of these trusted professionals could use a brush up or a reminder on ethics.
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CaseyLynn
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2014
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A must read for anyone looking to support animal testing alternatives. Henry Spira was a visionary!
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Top reviews from other countries

C GRI
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 21, 2024
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Inspiring book, would highly reccommend
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Jeff
5.0 out of 5 stars Great!
Reviewed in Canada on October 27, 2018
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Yes great book.
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Gina
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Inspiring Book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2020
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Very interesting book about how inspiring Henry Spira was for the animal rights movement. Good read so far and very detailed. Book was in an acceptable condition. I'm happy. Although I waited a very long time for delivery.
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