Are You An Evil Person For Eating Meat? - Peter Singer - #633

**Chris Williamson** (0:00)
Hello everybody, welcome back to the show. My guest today is Peter Singer. He's a philosopher, creator of the ethical veganism movement, a bioethicist, Princeton University professor and an author. Do animals possess the capacity to suffer? And if they do, does that mean that there is a moral case to ensure that we reduce their suffering as much as possible? Thankfully, the ethical case for animal welfare is much more interesting and reasonable than protesters throwing pig's blood over your Canada Goose coat would have you believe. Expect to learn just how much progress humans have made in improving animal welfare, which species actually have the greatest capacity for suffering, whether it's possible to do ethical meat farming, how to harmonize ecosystem preservation with hunting practices, Peter's perspective on the current vegan movement and why it hasn't gained global momentum, whether humans are ethically obliged to consume as few calories as possible, whether we need to be worried about AI agents' capacity to suffer and much more. In other news, this episode is brought to you by Manscaped, the best in men's below the waist grooming. You should get yourself some precision engineered tools for your family jewels. If you are a guy who is still trimming his gentleman's area with a face shaver from three birthdays ago, that is tres bad. It is not built for the job. And the Manscaped Lawnmower 4 is engineered to be the ultimate ball and body hair trimmer by focusing on functionality for an unbeatably comfortable grooming experience. It is the best ball and body hair trimmer ever created. It's got a cutting edge ceramic blade to reduce grooming accidents, a 90 minute battery so you can take a longer shave, waterproof technology which allows you to groom in the shower, and an LED light which illuminates grooming areas for a closer and more precise trim. They've also upgraded to a 7,000 rpm motor with quiet stroke technology in case you want to do it while everybody's asleep or while there's robbers in your house, perhaps. Also you can get 20% off everything sitewide plus free shipping worldwide with the code Modern Wisdom if you go to manscaped.com/modernwisdom. That's manscaped.com/modernwisdom and modern wisdom, a checkout. In other other news, this episode is brought to you by AG1. One scoop of AG1 contains 75 vitamins, minerals and whole foods sourced ingredients including a multi-vitamin, multi-mineral, pre and probiotic, green superfood blend and more that all work together to fill the nutritional gaps in your diet. It increases energy and focus aids with digestion and supports a healthy immune system all without the need to take multiple products or pills. It's NSF certified for sports in the US, meaning that even Olympic athletes can use it. And it is the number one supplement that I use every single day. I take it with me when I travel on the road. It is an absolute phenom and it really does make a difference. Also, there is a 90 day money back guarantee so you can buy it and try it for 89 days. And if you do not like it, they will give you your money back. Head to athleticgreens.com/modernwisdom to get a year's free supply of vitamin D, five free travel packs, free pots, shakers and more. That's athleticgreens.com/modernwisdom.
And in final news, this episode is brought to you by House Of Macadamias. I can tell you about how macadamias have got the lowest carb content of any popular nut and they've got more heart healthy mono and saturated fats. And they're the only nut rich in omega-7 fatty acids and all sorts of other stuff. But really, they just taste good. They taste absolutely fantastic, actually. The ready salted, straight up, normal, ready salted macadamias, House Of Macadamias macadamias nuts are insane. They do salty versions, they do sweet and they do spicy versions. But just get the salted ones. They are outrageously tasty. And if you or somebody that you know is a nut lover, you absolutely have to try this. They are healthy for you, but that's kind of secondary to the fact that they taste phenomenal. And that is why guys like Tim Ferriss and Joe Rogan and Brett Weinstein all endorse House Of Macadamias as well. Head to houseofmacadamias.com/modernwisdom and use the code MW20 to get 20% off. And for a limited time, a free box worth $35 with your first purchase. That's houseofmacadamias.com/modernwisdom and MW20, a checkout. But now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Peter Singer.
It's nearly 50 years since you first published Animal Liberation. Why re-release the book now?

**Peter Singer** (4:55)
Well, partly because it is nearly 50 years, and although I did revise it in 1990, that's still 33 years. And the book isn't just, you know, timeless philosophy. It has some of what I hope is timeless philosophy in it. But it's applied to the real world, and the real world includes industrial animal production, which is a vast industry that is terrible for animals, the planet, climate, health, everything. But it's changed, of course, that industry has changed over the last 50 or 33 years. I also talk about the use of animals in laboratories, and I described experiments that were done the last time I revised the book. So experiments from the 1980s, not very relevant if you want to know.