November Book Club Meeting

The book we are reading for this meeting is Peter Singer’s brand new book “Ethics in the Real World: 82 Brief Essays on Things That Matter”. Location will be Leg Up Farm Market in North York in their event space.

Synopsis: In this book of brief essays, he applies his controversial ways of thinking to issues like climate change, extreme poverty, animals, abortion, euthanasia, human genetic selection, sports doping, the sale of kidneys, the ethics of high-priced art, and ways of increasing happiness. Singer asks whether chimpanzees are people, smoking should be outlawed, or consensual sex between adult siblings should be decriminalized, and he reiterates his case against the idea that all human life is sacred, applying his arguments to some recent cases in the news. In addition, he explores, in an easily accessible form, some of the deepest philosophical questions, such as whether anything really matters and what is the value of the pale blue dot that is our planet. The collection also includes some more personal reflections, like Singer’s thoughts on one of his favorite activities, surfing, and an unusual suggestion for starting a family conversation over a holiday feast.

Provocative and original, these essays will challenge—and possibly change—your beliefs about a wide range of real-world ethical questions.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ethics-in-the-real-world-peter-singer/1123485864?ean=9780691172477

*This is the last book of the year – at the final meeting of 2016 we will be viewing a film at a small cinema.*