Better Socrates Dissatisfied than a Fool Satisfied? (Utilitarianism, Part 1) episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 17, 2025 · 27 MIN

Better Socrates Dissatisfied than a Fool Satisfied? (Utilitarianism, Part 1)

from The Norton Library Podcast · host The Norton Library

In Part 1 of our discussion on John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism, we welcome co-editor Peter Singer to discuss the author's life and other writings, to provide context on the philosophical tradition and historical era in which Mill wrote Utilitarianism, and to unpack the key arguments presented by this influential text.  Peter Singer, an Australian philosopher, is currently Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. He is best known for Animal Liberation, first published in 1975 and widely considered to be the founding statement of the animal rights movement; and for The Life You Can Save, which led him to found the charity of the same name. His other books include Practical Ethics, The Most Good You Can Do, and the two books co-authored with Katarzyna de Lazari- Radek. In 2005, Time magazine named him one of the World’s 100 Most Influential People.  To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of Utilitarianism, go to https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393441161.Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter at @TNL_WWN and Bluesky at @nortonlibrary.bsky.social. 

In Part 1 of our discussion on John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism, we welcome co-editor Peter Singer to discuss the author's life and other writings, to provide context on the philosophical tradition and historical era in which Mill wrote Utilitarianism, and to unpack the key arguments presented by this influential text. Peter Singer, an Australian philosopher, is currently Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. He is best known for Animal Liberation, first publis...

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Better Socrates Dissatisfied than a Fool Satisfied? (Utilitarianism, Part 1)

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In Part 1 of our discussion on John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism, we welcome co-editor Peter Singer to discuss the author's life and other writings, to provide context on the philosophical tradition and historical era in which Mill wrote...

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