Peter Singer - The Genius of Darwin: The Uncut Interviews - Richard Dawkins 

I also just love how philosophers talk. “So you think I’m a bad person?” “Yes I do”. “I accept that”. Then they go grab a beer.

glad to see a secular, rational and intelligent argument for veganism. stop eating meat is not a new age hippie fashion, but a truly evolved and intelligent perspective that needs to be embraced by the majority of humanity.

Peter Singer is the only person against whom Richard Dawkins couldn't defend himself.

Richard interviews Peter Stinger for a Channel 4 program called “The Genius of Charles Darwin” which won the British Broadcasting Award for Best Documentary!

I love how calm and rational both parties remained during this conversation, considering the topic is generally so polarizing and tends to incite passion. I admire Dawkins greatly for being humble enough to concede that Singer is in practice a more moral individual, and also for concluding that, given his willingness to eat meat, had he lived when human slavery was socially acceptable, he would have practiced it himself. He says he would have done so only reluctantly, but I wonder about that, because it does not seem to be with much reluctance that he eats meat. I do not mean to be inflammatory, but as a vegan myself, I must admit that for me, the highlight of this video was Singer suggesting that he has assimilated Darwin better than Dawkins has. I believe that Dawkins dismissed this by saying that he is socially conforming, a tendency that can be seen as Darwinian, but I believe that misses the point. Christians accept Christianity (and many consciously reject Darwinism) as a function of social conformity, and no one would argue that this reflects the degree to which they have assimilated Darwin into their thoughts and choices. But overall I commend Dawkins for his commitment to reason and logical consistency.

Animals like elephants grieving is not a story, it is fact, there's also footage of these events.

Everyone watching this video gets +10 in intelligence LEVEL UP

Two very great people, that I have enormous respect for in an terrific interview together. Glad I watched this.

I like how Dawkins is honest that he might have owned slaves when it was the norm. It's not an easy thing to admit!

Dawkins having zero argument makes me think I should consider this vegan thing...

Peter Singer and Richard Dawkings, some of the most rational people.

This was one of the best interviews I've ever watched. I'm going vegan 10 years ago and vegetarian in 86! Empathy, it sure tastes yummy!

This is pretty good. Most of the time when I hear Singer interviewed it's with an interviewer who doesn't understand him. I've found that frustrating and I usually give up early. Dawkins does a good job here.

37:07 - Bam!

Treating others as you would want to be treated is an intelligent objective to aim for. A person who lives by these values will experience gratification in life, When you do the right thing you feel confident. When you do the wrong thing you feel remorse and guilt.

Peter Singer & Richard Dawkins , two great thinkers, this is definitely worth to watch.

Always thought Peter Singer was a badass

Singer is incredibly astute and reasonable. If only we had more people in our society like him who could educate people about our presuppositions and contradictions in our thoughts and actions.

Dawkins' value system seems so utterly bankrupt next to Singer. It seems odd that someone who defines animals as "non-human animals" wouldn't be a advocate for veganism. 11:13 - Dawkins - "I don't know much about slaughterhouses" Yes. Yes, you do. This is a fascinating dialogue. Singer, in his subtle way, calls Dawkins immoral on several occasions while Dawkins rambles and fawns over how "moral" Singer is.

Two beautiful humans both-in intelligence and in moral ethics too..

What an extraordinary and glaring contrast there is between a conversation like this, between two great intellects and what could expect to hear from two religious leaders.

I love the background. It is the perfect landscape for this discussion on morality.

This is the most interesting conversations I've seen in a very long time. I admire both men intellectual honesty. Thank you!

This is like the best interview I've ever seen

That was awesome! Singer and Dawkins are probably the two thinkers that have shaped my life the most.

This is a great video.

This interview was simply brilliant.

Love the parts where Richard giggles. It's kind of nice to see someone so intelligent and sober be able to take things lightly.

This is my best veganism, atheist, scientific video.

The best discussion ever!

It would be great to do a follow up on this! Richard and Peter should get together again!

I've been binge-watching Dawkins videos and I have to say, this was one of the most moving and galvanizing.

That was a great intellectual interview between the English and the Australian. Awesome viewing

Brilliant! Bravo!

Such a nice conversation. A proper conversation. It was eye-opening, not only on the topic, but also on how people conversate. I wish I could let people finish their point like these gentlemen do :)

such a great conversation!

Thank you Richard for uploading this! I am a huge fan of Singer and greatly enjoyed this!

37:06 BAMMM!!!

great discussion btwn two of the greatest thinkers of our time. thx so much for posting.

So good to watch these two together. Awesome interview. I went atheist partly influenced by Dawkins and went vegan by reading Singer. I think that atheism and veganism have one point in common: rejecting anthropocentrism. For me, it was very easy to go vegan due to my atheism. I hope Dawkins goes vegan too.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Singer and Dawkins, thank you for posting. However, reading the comments below just gave me a headache. For those of you wondering why Dawkins is still eating meat, I recommend you listen to Dr Melanie Joy's presentation on "Carnism" which explains why most of us still do (well, not me, I'm vegan)

I'd like to give a shout out to my teacher Mr.Howe for making my Sunday evening

This is a great discussion.

This was very educational

Dawkins is so outmatched here.

One issue is, for Dawkins, Dillahunty, and it seems other thinkers, is that meat eaters do not see the rational incongruency of eating an animal as it is, alive. The conversation always tends towards abstracts, roadkill, oysters, cannibalism, etc. Have you ever seen a human eat a live bird, pig, or land animal without weapons, tools, fire, preparation, proper storage etc? It happens, especially if you think of fish, but we aren't "designed" by nature to be mammalian predators, we are mammalian omnivores, but not of the magnitude or type of meat we eat now. We can't run nearly as fast, we don't have long talons or lots of tearing teeth, and we don't have the intestines and gut biome to more efficiently process meat. It's not compatible for us to eat meat of most kinds, excluding insects. I would eat insects if I had to. I would fast for weeks before I would hunt an animal for their body parts. I already grow vegetables and save seeds. It's not astrophysics, we need to release the animals from human dominance.

Peter Singer is so intelligent! His logic is just so fluid, and his thinking, and ideas are impressive. Many people think that it is hard to become a vegetarian, or a vegan. Actually it is not: it is just a matter of getting rid of a habit, and a bad one at that! We grow up eating meat, without thinking about what is in our plates. It tastes pretty good, and that's the reason we seek it out. Had you grown up somewhere else, for instance in some countries where insects are eaten, you would eat that without any problems. However for people who grow up not eating insects, the idea is repulsive. When you stop eating meat, yes, you do have to adjust at first, in the first month or so, but then something strange, and unexpected happens: you start feeling the same repulsion that you would if you were to eat insects, or eat something that is foreign to you. You see that meat on your plate, with blood leaking, you cut into it, and instead of thinking about meat, you actually see that it is flesh you are cutting into, and you picture the animal who once was behind that meat, and the agony that his or her life most likely was, the feedlots for cattle, the overcrowded cages for chickens, the pens where pigs spend their entire lives, without ever being able to even stand up, because the floor for them consists of stainless-steel rods (so that excrements fall below where it is easier to hose them away). After a while, even the smell of meat cooking has a strange smell, a stench that you had never smelled before, and in fact I think it is the stench of death. Grilled meat, cooked in the garden on a nice summer evening suddenly no longer smells good at all, and all you want to do is get back inside, close the windows, until the smell is gone... Anyway, if people just reduced the amount of meat they consume, reduce it as much as possible, and allow themselves to eat it once or twice a month, or even just once a week, the whole meat industry would change. Animals would be allowed to live in more comfortable, and natural conditions, just as organic farmers let them, and that alone would be an immense improvement, not only for the animals but for people's health, because eating meat from factory farms is bad, very bad actually. The meat industry of course does not tell you that, and takes great precautions to hide from the public its practices because they are appalling. I think it was Linda McCartney who said: "If slaughterhouses had glass-walls, everyone would be vegetarian," to which we should add that, if factory farms had glass-walls, most people would weep.... Besides the issue of animal welfare, and ethical considerations, there is a consensus in the health industry that is beginning to gain importance, and which is that eating large quantities of meat, meaning several times a week, is causing serious, and even deadly health problems in the long-run, and this industry is increasingly encouraging its patients, and the public, to reduce meat consumption in order to prevent heart-attacks, clogged arteries, etc., etc.

we need more people like peter singer.

If only this discussion represented what the discussion generally is like between meateaters and vegans.

I wonder if, as most people probably seem like idiots to Dawkins, to Singer most people seem like sociopaths. I can tell he is troubled that Dawkins understands his arguments intellectually, but doesn't care enough to change. As a current carnivore myself, I am one to talk, but I think Singer's field is even more precious than Dawkins' passion for discovering the reality of the universe. If we don't do all we can to prevent the suffering of our fellow/sister beings, what the hell is the point?

many thanks.

oh my god, my two favourite people in one video!

great interview. I learned a lot, especially on moral consistency. ;) thank you.

...and now I have to throw away all the meat in my fridge.

Amazing to see how much changed since 2009 in the area of animal rights and the farm animal industry

not all nerve endings transmit pain signals - but granted, if there were an animal that because of the structure of its nervous system would be able to feel pain more intensely than us, it would follow, that we should care more about not making those animals suffer than us. Another part (as Singer states) in assessing the capacity to suffer however is the capability to (for example) fear for the future, which corresponds to intelligence, so it seems implausible that such an animal exists

Richard Dawkins has highlighted and promoted 'rational thought' whether it be opposed to religion or otherwise to such a level i feel it almost an amazing time step periodically to be alive in. Its huge and the future will reflect and be shaped by this.

Dawkins reminds me of how I used to think when I ate meat. It's hard to live like that for long, if you have any ethics you will eventually become vegan.

it's 4:01am, so i'm gonna have to call it a night and watch this later. should be interesting and very enlightening.

What a joy to find that someone in the world shares my views about other species rights. I could not agree more with Prof. Singer's argument uploaded here. I am not a vegan but I am very concerned about other species rights. Prof. Singer and Prof. Dawkins what a delight to watch. Thank you very much for uploading this interview. Just great!

FFS now I'm a vegetarian :(

Very mature, intelligent conversation.🙏

What a fantastic discussion on morality. I hope Richard thinks about those poor little furry critters a bit more ;)

I just really like listening to smart people talk

Amazing interview, thank you. You have changed my life Richard! PS - I selfishly want Richard's health to remain, please kindly suggest him to investigate the scientific work by Dr John McDougall MD. He has written many books on the medical literature.

So Richard Dawkins is just gonna go along with societal norms even when he sees that there's an in inherent issue? Carnist be carnists no matter how smart.

I have to say that this is interview between these two honest men completely agree with m standing on these matters.

Is there a way to get subtitles for this video? I'd like my fellow humans from this side of the world to be able to learn something from it.

37:00 - Peter Singer destroying Dawkins with Dawkins' own views of Dawinism!

So the intrensic and non-negotiable value of human life is a lie we tell to ourselves. Ok, i´ll stick to that lie any day, if it makes us behave more kind towards each other - or even if it only gives us a bad feeling if we don´t.

"In a practical sense, refrain from deliberately harming anyone, without just cause." It never ceases to surprise me to discover how many people believe that sentence reflects a behavioral perimeter that is considered wrong. Veganism is the most basic type of decency; merely the moral baseline.

My 2 older sister eats meat everyday and struggle with anemia. My younger sister had a hemoglobin of 8.2 (12.5 needed to donate) 3 years ago when she ate meat, now, as a vegan her iron has slowly increased to 10.3 (before vitamins). I don't think heme and non-heme makes a difference, it is that amount of vitamin C that helps you absorb it. Don't eat things with caffeine or high calcium with iron containing foods, but eat lots of vitamin C for max absorbency.

Peter Singer, Steven Pinker...(almost) anagram much:-D!

Vegan food-for-thought. Peter Singer is a clever man indeed. Logically, Dawkins have to agree. There are no logical reasons for eating meat anymore. I wonder if RD gave up eating meat after this interview or not. 🤔

The issue at 38 mins was explored in the movie "Skullduggery"

Agree wholeheartedly with this, good on Peter.

And yet Dawkins still continues to eat meat. Smh.

Scary dude , A relative thinker who advocates human termination !!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but based on these arguments if an animal has the mental capacity to contemplate its own suffering (Even if its a rudimentary comprehension), and has a fully developed central nervous system, including a brain equally or more capable of discerning pain then our own, would not the animal with the most nerve endings in its body be the animal that would always be spared suffering first, even over a human?

For the first second of footage, i almost thought i was watching the jeffersons again

Pain, suffering & empathy are at the core of what we humans use to determine right from wrong. We are naturally empathetic and we naturally have a detest for pain and suffering (we don't like experiencing it and we don't like seeing others experience it). Unfortunately, these traits can be - and usually are - damaged by improper upbringing. The current chain of improper upbringing likely stems from a few influential humans in our past who were born with disorders such as psychopathy.

Science fiction story exploring what might happen if a tribe of "Lucy's" were discovered in a remote part of the world. Very interesting. Perhaps Richard could co-author it with a skilled sci-fi writer. I would buy that to read. Go for it Richard.

Well said.

Thanks to Both Gentlemen for sharing their views.. I am truly inspired & have a very interesting project in mind.. I'd love to speak to you both someday among others & include ur contributions. To Prof.Dawkins this might be the first time I wud have spoken directly to u & I would have you know, without sounding too patronising, that I've watched & read all ur material. U are to many including me, what Darwin is to you.. You indeed are, as many Wallace described, more Darwinian than Darwin..

Yes, I did.

~ Brilliant interview ~ mgf

By the way, the last line of the Flanders&Swan song you mentioned wasn't "don't eat animals? ridiculous!", it was "Don't fight people? ridiculous!" Though "Don't eat animals? ridiculous!" would have been very fitting.

I think they did get into the evolution of empathy. They talked about when human beings were in small groups and others were in a position to reciprocate. However you do make a good point that extending empathy to animals could also have an evolutionary basis.

The scenario (of finding modern australopithecenes) discussed at 38:00-42:00 is explored in depth in the novel "Orphan of Creation" , by Roger MacBride Allen.

this is one of the greatest videos on youtube.

@WickedJargon thats awesome, congrats

Shoutout to the camera man tho

Totally agree with Gov33. This has got 2 be, in my opinion 1 of the greatest interviews ive found. It touches topics that most people, including myself, kind of just scratch the surface, and dont really give any further thought. I think this interview is great cuz it is not only very indepth, but also gives us the opportunity, in a rather small confined space 2 see tha whole picture of our actions as human beings.

@NEUHEITEN100 Thank you for your kind words, and I'm quite pleased we "found each other". Lot's of information out there, it's just a matter of finding it, and sharing it! We truly are what we eat, no doubt in my mind. I've never enjoyed food more than in the last few years. It really is less expensive too - again, it's once you understand how this "corporate / marketing / government / system works". People should always remember the KISS system "Keep It Simple Stupid". Cheers DD

Fascinating, of course, and I thought that they finally came down to my level when Dawkins used the term 'Yuk factor' in relation to cannibalism.

Imagine watching all of this. Imagine reading the comments here as well.

I agree, for someone who is so strong about being rational, he doesn't justify himself at all. The only thing I would think is maybe he didnt consider these issues before the interview, and maybe now he's changed. Furthermore unlike a religious belief which isnt necessarily causing any immediate or direct harm, eating meat is a very real thing. But overall i give him credit for being honest and also doing this interview in the first place, helping Singer spread his message.

I believe that moral actions are defined by whether they help you to become a well-functioning human being. Sometimes, such actions will not only go against some of your own desires but also some desires of others.

The big bang is being doubted by some of the most educated and well respected scientists of today, as the theory falls apart and can't be explained less than seconds after the supposed "beginning" of the universe. Not to mention the fact that it still seems that there were still the materials from which the universe was formed to be accounted for - their existence is still to be pondered.

Singer's hands are not "enormous". Because of his gesturing they are in the foreground of the video which enhances the illusion of perspective.