Eastern spirituality and utilitarian philosophy meet in these unique dialogues between a Buddhist monastic and a moral philosopher on such issues as animal welfare, gender equality, the death penalty and more. An unlikely duo, preeminent Australian philosopher and professor of bioethics Peter Singer and Taiwanese Buddhist monastic and social activist Shih Chao-Hwei, discuss ethics in lively conversations that cross oceans, overcome language and cultural barriers and bridge philosophies.
Together, these two deep thinkers explore the foundation of ethics and key Buddhist concepts, and ultimately reveal how we can all move towards making the world a better place.
Australian philosopher Peter Singer is Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University and the recipient of the Berggruen Prize for ideas that shape human self-understanding. He is the author of more than twenty books, including The Ethics of What We Eat (with Jim Mason), The Most Good you can Do and Ethics in the Real World. Singer divides his time between Princeton and Melbourne.
Shih Chao-Hwei was born in Myanmar in 1958. She founded the Life Conservation Association to improve animals welfare and the Buddhist Hong-Shi College in Taiwan. She teaches in the Religion and Cultural Department at Taiwan's Hsuan-Chuang University and is a spiritual mentor of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists along with the Fourteenth Dalai Lama Thich Nhat Hanh. She has published thirty-four books and has received the Chinese Literary Award for cultural discourse from the Chinese Literature and Arts Association, Taiwan, and Japan's Niwano Peace Prize.
'Peter Singer's status as a man of principles and towering intellect—a philosopher extraordinaire, if you will—is unrivalled in Australia.' Sydney Morning Herald
'A public intellectual par excellence.' Monthly
