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The comments about Peter Singer since his appointment to Princeton range from manic to open worship. The contribution that Singer has made to the debate about social ethics is significant. He moved forward the debate about how humans should treat other animals more than any other philosopher. However, one needs to understand that much of what he writes and says reflects HIS view of how the world should be. He is primarily a social activists, and like many people who wish to make a difference, he does not spend much time defending the foundation of some of his claims. He remains one of the few philosophers who still defend the idea that one can make objective claims about what ethics is. When Singer says that "reason" can solve moral dilemmas don't believe a word of it. The use of principle-based decision making, such as the utilitarian preference model used by Singer, is built on an illusion that ethical truth can be "known." It can't.

: -- Philip Matthews, Director; Bioethics Teaching and Research Unit, Curtin University-Australia (posted 3/6, 10:17 a.m., E.S.T.)

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