Are there perks to being called one of the world’s most influential philosophers? I don’t take it too seriously, actually, though it is a nice little tagline to have on books and articles. But I guess I have had an influence on the animal rights movement.
Animal rights seems less philosophical than, say, the work of Socrates. Is your work really traditional philosophy? I think so. Socrates challenged the citizens of Athens to be clearer about justice and the right thing to do. I think I’m doing something similar and, like Socrates, I’ve gotten a lot of flak for it. But, of course, I haven’t been asked to drink hemlock.
Do you seek controversy? I see it as what I’m supposed to be doing. People are stimulated to think and I see that as part of my role. And though I get a lot of criticism, it’s better, from my point of view, than being ignored.
Do activists threaten you? When I came to Princeton, there was a lot of controversy. Both I and the university president had death threats.
Society seems to be catching up with some of your more controversial beliefs. My views on animal rights have been in the public arena for 30 years and there has been a definite change. On issues of euthanasia, it varies from country to country. We’ve got legal, voluntary euthanasia in the Netherlands and Belgium and legal physician-assisted suicide in Oregon. Those are things I’ve been advocating for some time.
You favor more foreign aid, but also putting people to death. Explain? It’s all part of wanting to help people. Those who should be put to death are people who want to die, who think life has lost qualities worth living for, or are infants whose conditions make it so their parents might decide they should not live.
