Peter Singer, the Decamp Professor of Bioethics in the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University, has been awarded Australia's highest civic honor. He was appointed Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia "for eminent service to philosophy and bioethics as a leader of public debate and communicator of ideas in the areas of global poverty, animal welfare and the human condition."
Singer, a native of Australia, was among eight people announced as recipients of the honor Monday, June 11, as part of the Queen's Birthday celebration.
Singer, who joined Princeton's faculty in 1999, is also laureate professor in the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at the University of Melbourne. He has written books including "The Life You Can Save: Acting Now to End World Poverty," "The President of Good and Evil: The Ethics of George W. Bush" and "Animal Liberation." Singer was also involved in establishing The Life You Can Save, an initiative that encourages people to donate a percentage of their salaries to charity.
