PLENTY OF NEW IDEAS FOR CURIOUS YOUNG PHILOSOPHERS TO CONTEMPLATE
BREAKFAST WITH A RENOWNED OLD SCOTCH COLLEGIAN PHILOSOPHER
ABOVE : PROFESSOR PETER SINGER (’ 63 )
ADDRESSES THE PHILOSOPHY BREAKFAST
VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE .
BELOW : THE SCENE IN THE FRASER SMITH THEATRE DURING THE
VIDEOCONFERENCE
Philosophers are often seen as detached from the real world , spending their days solving abstract logical problems that have very little impact on anyone .
Australian moral philosopher and Old Scotch Collegian Professor Peter Singer (’ 63 ) flips this narrative on its head . Singer is widely regarded as the most influential and controversial philosopher of our time . His book Animal Liberation is viewed as the backbone of the animal rights movement , and his work in the field of bioethics has made the medical community question even its most fundamental tenet of the right to human life .
On Wednesday 10 May , Scotch students were offered the chance to attend a Philosophy Breakfast , where Peter Singer appeared by videoconference to speak about effective altruism .
A cohort of enthusiastic philosophers from Years 7-12 arrived early at school to attend the event . Singer ’ s classic essay ‘ Famine , Affluence and Morality ’ ( which
Year 11 Philosophy students at Scotch study ) is often credited with laying the foundations for the effective altruism movement , which seeks to maximise the amount of good achieved through altruism by ensuring that we donate to the most effective charities available .
Singer discussed his famous Shallow Pond thought experiment , as well as the history of the movement and the recent downfall of effective altruist Sam Bankman- Fried . Students were then offered the opportunity to showcase their philosophical thinking skills by asking questions , all of which Professor Singer answered with his trademark depth and clarity .
Thanks to the hard work of Mrs Horneman , Mr Brown , Mr Cox and Ms Cowcher , the event was an incredibly fruitful one , giving curious young philosophers some new ideas to chew on and a chance to meet one of the most impactful thinkers in recent history . CONOR SULLIVAN – YEAR 10
www . scotch . vic . edu . au Great Scot 41