In interview with Forbes, bioethicist explains hopes for future.

The world’s best-known bioethicist,
Peter Singer, of Princeton University, has confirmed that human
beings are amongst his favourite animals. Forbes magazine recently
asked him for five nominations. Singer chose rats (“Intelligent,
clean and very cute”), dolphins (“enjoys playing in the surf”),
pigs (not “lazy or greedy or dirty”), chimpanzees and human
beings. Here are excerpts from his brief observations on the last
two:

Chimpanzees: “It is us, not gorillas
or orangutans, who are the closest relatives of chimpanzees… in
chimpanzees, we see the roots of our own nature. They live in small
groups, forming close friends with some and competing with others.
Different groups develop different cultures, learning to obtain and
eat different foods. They are self-aware and plan for the future. And
when their children die, they grieve.”

Human Beings: “Humans have done, and
are still doing, immense damage to other animals, including other
humans. We may yet destroy our planet and every other animal living
on it. Yet I cannot leave them out of a list of my favorite animals.
Nature itself is by no means benign. A world without humans would
still involve a lot of pointless suffering, and it would continue
indefinitely. The evolution of mammals intelligent enough to think
ethically and develop a scientific understanding of our universe
offers the only hope that one day things may be better.” ~
Forbes, Mar
31

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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