Animal Liberation
Peter Singer · 1975 CE
Excerpt
“Singer's principle of equality applies to all sentient beings, not only to members of our own species. (paraphrase of the 1975 book)”
Why the atlas keeps it
Singer applies the principle of equality to every sentient being and argues from utility rather than rights, which makes the book's conclusions stronger than a rights-based account would allow. It changed the terms of the factory-farming debate within a decade of publication. The excerpt below paraphrases the equality principle rather than quoting the 1975 book.
Terms this text reaches for
Ranked by the codex search index against the summary above, not hand-picked.
Person-affecting principle
ethicsThe view that an action is wrong only if it affects someone for the worse.
Precautionary principle
ethicsWhen serious harm is possible and the evidence is uncertain, act to avoid it.
Speciesism
ethicsTreating an entity's species membership as the reason for its moral consideration.
Symmetry
philosophyThe assumption that no being's interests matter more than another's merely as a matter of fact.
Scalable oversight
alignmentSupervision methods that let a weaker checker check something stronger than itself.
Moratorium
governanceA temporary halt on some class of development, distinct from a permanent prohibition.