Speaker blasts Singer for 'irrational and illogical' beliefs

Correction appended

Philosophy professor Peter Singer's ethical system is "irrational and illogical" and inevitably leads to infanticide, University of Reading philosophy professor David Oderberg argued in a lecture last night, linking Singer's views to those of the Nazis.

"Don't be misled into thinking that [Singer] believes in rights, whether with humans, animals, trees or whatever," Oderberg said to about 50 people in McCosh 10. "Professor Singer approves of pretending to believe in rights as a propaganda tool."

The lecture was sponsored by Princeton Pro-Life.

Oderberg quoted extensively from Singer's landmark book "Practical Ethics," and then accused Singer of not always abiding by his moral code.

He said Singer defines "persons" as "rational and self-conscious beings" and claims that "infants lack these characteristics."

In Singer's system, Oderberg continued, "Killing [infants] therefore cannot be equated with killing human beings."

Returning to "Practical Ethics," he read, "Killing a snail or a day-old infant does not thwart any desires of this kind [for the future], because snails and newborn infants are incapable of having such desires."

"For Professor Singer, newborn babies are on the same moral level as snails, since neither are capable of thinking of the future," Oderberg added.

"Professor Singer is a utilitarian, so what matters is the statistical assessment of costs and benefits, not that individual's desire to live ... In short, he advocates the killing of disabled infants, if the balance of advantage allows it."

Another major focus of the lecture was drawing a comparison between Singer's philosophy and that of the Nazis. Though "Professor Singer believes that a comparison between him and the Nazis introduces blind emotion into what should be a rational debate," Oderberg said, "there is nothing at all outrageous in comparing his policies with those of Nazi Germany. There may be noticeable differences, but it seems to me that the overlaps are not trivial."

"Honestly," he added, "what [the Nazis] said could have come out of 'Practical Ethics.'"

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Singer was unable to attend Oderberg's presentation. When told the content of the lecture, however, he said in an email that "to make allegations like this, and to take quotations out of context is not a serious philosophical critique of my position."

"I find the Nazi smear particularly offensive," Singer said, "because my parents were refugees from the Nazis, and three of my grandparents were murdered by the Nazis."

He added, "If the pro-life group that organized this event really wants to discuss ideas, and contribute to the intellectual life of the campus, they should find a speaker who is prepared to discuss my arguments, and arrange a debate with me."

"I'll be happy to take part."

Correction

In the original version of this story, Professor Oderberg was quoted as saying that under Professor Peter Singer's philosophy, if disabled infants were consulted about their right to live, "they might make a fuss." In fact, Oderberg was referring to anyone whose life would be jeopardized by utilitarian considerations, not just infants. We regret the error.