Only human

Good riddance to a warped philosopher-that was the gist of many newspaper headlines when Peter Singer left Australia for Princeton University earlier this year, only to be welcomed by protesters waving placards that branded him a murderer and a Nazi. Why? It all started some 25 years ago with Animal Liberation, in which Singer created a moral framework for the modern animal rights movement. Then, as now, Singer argued that giving humans special status is outmoded “speciesism” on a par with racism or sexism. Over the years, Singer, a passionate believer in euthanasia, has also repeatedly questioned the idea…