April 7, 2000

Peter Singer's Controversial Views Have Brought Philosophy Out of the Ivory Tower

To the Editor:

Jeff Sharlet's article seems to imply that when Peter Singer cares for his mother, who has Alzheimer's, he departs from his ethical stance on the disabled ("Why Are We Afraid of Peter Singer?," March 10). This is far from the case. Singer's utilitarianism has led him to the conclusion that some of the disabled ought not to live, but only those who have fewer interests than a mollusk (i.e., those who are permanently incapable of any experience of