The Expanding Circle, Peter Singer
The Expanding Circle, Peter Singer
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The Expanding Circle
Ethics, Evolution, and Moral Progress

Author: Peter Singer

Narrator: Dennis Kleinman

Unabridged: 6 hr 19 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 03/25/2025

Synopsis

What is ethics? Where do moral standards come from? Are they based on emotions, reason, or some innate sense of right and wrong? For many scientists, the key lies entirely in biology—especially in Darwinian theories of evolution and self-preservation. But if evolution is a struggle for survival, why are we still capable of altruism?

In his classic study The Expanding Circle, Peter Singer argues that altruism began as a genetically based drive to protect one's kin and community members but has developed into a consciously chosen ethic with an expanding circle of moral concern. Drawing on philosophy and evolutionary psychology, he demonstrates that human ethics cannot be explained by biology alone. Rather, it is our capacity for reasoning that makes moral progress possible. In a new afterword, Singer takes stock of his argument in light of recent research on the evolution of morality.

About Peter Singer

Peter Singer is a renowned philosopher, professor, and author. In 2005 Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute ranked him third among global thought leaders for 2013.

Peter has written, coauthored, edited, or coedited more than forty books, including Practical Ethics, The Expanding Circle, Rethinking Life and Death, The Ethics of What We Eat (with Jim Mason), and The Most Good You Can Do. His works have appeared in more than twenty-five languages.

Peter was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1946, and educated at the University of Melbourne and the University of Oxford. After teaching in England, the United States, and Australia, he has, since 1999, been Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics in the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University. Since 2005 he has combined that position with the position of Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne, in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies.

Reviews

Goodreads review by T on December 21, 2012

4 1/2 stars. I had initially planned on giving this book a slightly lower rating, mostly due to two factors: Singer's strong commitment to the fact/value distinction and the ambivalence he displays in regards to objective normative truths. In the new afterword to the edition I have, he now repudiate......more

Goodreads review by Brian on December 06, 2024

This early effort to explore the relations between biology, sociology, and ethics is extremely careful and detailed, dealing with deep skepticism from scientists of the 1970s and 80s. But it leads to a discussion that has always fascinated me, namely the boundaries of our cultures, loyalties, and id......more

Goodreads review by Otto on December 07, 2017

Singer's book feels strikingly contemporary in 2017, as other reviewers have also pointed out. The "expanding circle" is a wonderful metaphor of how we can improve our ethical rules by being more inclusive in who we include in our moral calculations. And it also makes for a wonderful book, which pro......more

Goodreads review by Derek on February 14, 2017

An excellent introduction to the ethical system of universal well-being. One of the best ideas Singer presents here is that science is the fulcrum upon which reason exerts leverage on ethics. You can find the full text on a quick Google search and I would highly recommend you read this as a foundati......more

Goodreads review by Joe on April 12, 2020

Argues that ethics cannot be derived from biology. Argues that ethics is based on being impartial but does not justify that ethics should be based on impartiality as he admits in the afterword.......more

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