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153-548: The publishing and printing company Lannoo was founded in 1909 by Joris Lannoo (1891–1971). Joris Lannoo was a member of the Flemish Movement . The original company logo, featuring a sailing Viking neck, was designed by Joe English and modernized over the years. After Joris Lannoo, Jan and Godfried Lannoo took over the management of the company. In 1991 the publisher company spun off Lannoo Printers (the printing company went bankrupt in 2018). The French-language Éditions Racine

306-539: A Bachelor of Philosophy in 1971 with a thesis on civil disobedience supervised by R. M. Hare and published as a book in 1973. Singer names Hare, Australian philosopher H. J. McCloskey and British philosopher J. L. H. Thomas, who taught him "how to read and understand Hegel", as his most important mentors. In the preface to Hegel: A Very Short Introduction , Singer recalls his time in Thomas' "remarkable" classes at Oxford where students were forced to "probe passages of

459-719: A hedonistic utilitarian . On two occasions, Singer served as chair of the philosophy department at Monash University , where he founded its Centre for Human Bioethics . In 1996, he stood unsuccessfully as a Greens candidate for the Australian Senate . In 2004, Singer was recognised as the Australian Humanist of the Year by the Council of Australian Humanist Societies . In 2005, The Sydney Morning Herald placed him among Australia's ten most influential public intellectuals. Singer

612-598: A 10th of the way through their expected lifespans", thus risking that "overcoming aging will increase the stock of injustice in the world". Singer cautiously highlights that as with other medical developments, they would reach the more economically disadvantaged over time once developed, whereas they can never do so if they are not. As to the concern that longer lives might contribute to overpopulation , Singer notes that "success in overcoming aging could itself ... delay or eliminate menopause , enabling women to have their first children much later than they can now" and thus slowing

765-423: A 2006 interview that he does not eat meat and that he has been a vegetarian since 1971. He also said that he has "gradually become increasingly vegan " and that "I am largely vegan but I'm a flexible vegan. I don't go to the supermarket and buy non-vegan stuff for myself. But when I'm traveling or going to other people's places I will be quite happy to eat vegetarian rather than vegan." In 2022, Singer stated that he

918-674: A European Member State. The liberal List Dedecker , as well as several representatives of important Flemish parties belonging to the moderate wing, including the Christian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V) party, the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD) party, and, to a lesser extent, the Different Socialist Party (SP.A), prefer a confederal organisation of the Belgian state over the current federal organisation. Such

1071-434: A being to equal consideration is the capacity for "suffering and/or enjoyment or happiness". Singer holds that a being's interests should always be weighed according to that being's concrete needs. Ethical conduct is justified by reasons that go beyond prudence to "something bigger than the individual", addressing a larger audience. Singer thinks this going-beyond identifies moral reasons as "somehow universal", specifically in

1224-419: A book with the physician Deanne Wells arguing that surrogate motherhood should be allowed and regulated by the state by establishing nonprofit 'State Surrogacy Boards', which would ensure fairness between surrogate mothers and surrogacy-seeking parents. Singer and Wells endorsed both the payment of medical expenses endured by surrogate mothers and an extra "fair fee" to compensate the surrogate mother. Singer

1377-532: A good administration are based upon the exclusive use of one language, and it is evident that the only language of the Belgians should be French. In order to achieve this result, it is necessary that all civil and military functions are entrusted to Walloons and Luxemburgers; this way, the Flemish, temporarily deprived of the advantages of these offices, will be constrained to learn French, and we will hence destroy bit by bit

1530-504: A grade ranging from 0 to 10, with 0 tending towards 'more Flanders' and 10 referring to 'more Belgium'. The study found that 63% wanted 'more Belgium' and only 27% 'more Flanders', with 10% indicating the status quo is fine. Peter Singer Peter Albert David Singer AC FAHA (born 6 July 1946) is an Australian moral philosopher who is Emeritus Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University . Singer's work specialises in applied ethics , approaching

1683-473: A lecture at Saarbrücken , he was interrupted by a group of protesters including advocates for disability rights . One of the protesters expressed that entering serious discussions would be a tactical error. The same year, Singer was invited to speak in Marburg at a European symposium on "Bioengineering, Ethics and Mental Disability". The invitation was fiercely attacked by leading intellectuals and organisations in

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1836-502: A more respectful way of life towards all animals. The documentary won the "Public Choice Award" of the Greenpeace Film Festival. Singer has frequently collaborated on op-eds and otherwise with animal rights advocate Karen Dawn . In the past, Singer did not hold that objective moral values exist, on the basis that reason could favour both egoism and equal consideration of interests . Singer himself adopted utilitarianism on

1989-577: A name change) and ending far below the 5% threshold in the Flemish regional elections of 2009, what was left of the party merged with Groen! (the Flemish green party) at the end of 2009. In the Belgian general election of June 2010, N-VA became the leading party in Flanders and even in Belgium as a whole, polling 28% of the Flemish vote, dwarfing the senior partner of their former cartel, CD&V, which ended at an all-time low of 17.5%. The enormous growth of N-VA

2142-477: A person, that is, a being who wants to go on living". Singer has clarified that his "view of when life begins isn't very different from that of opponents of abortion." He deems it not "unreasonable to hold that an individual human life begins at conception. If it doesn't, then it begins about 14 days later, when it is no longer possible for the embryo to divide into twins or other multiples." Singer disagrees with abortion rights opponents in that he does not "think that

2295-420: A poll published by Le Soir and RTL found that 37% percent of Flemish respondents would vote for Flemish independence, as opposed to only 14% percent of Walloons and 17% percent of Brussels residents. In May 2021, an article by VRT showed a poll taken by De Stemming gauging preferences in how the country is run (depicted) . The research ran from late March to 19 April. Correspondents could choose between

2448-580: A radical constitutional agenda, the PS socialist and very reluctant to agree to any significant reform of the state. The ensuing deadlock led to an 18-month government formation crisis . In the end, a coalition was formed by CD&V, SP.a, Open VLD on the Flemish side, and PS, CDH and MR on the Walloon side. This coalition however didn't contain a majority of the Flemish representatives, with only 43 of 88 Flemish seats supporting it. This situation had never happened since

2601-596: A reason for a call to separate. The situation is intensified due to a lack of Dutch language classes in the French-speaking schools. Since the 1960s and continuing into the present time, Flanders is significantly richer than Wallonia. Based on population and GDP figures for 2007, GDP per capita in that year was €28,286 (US$ 38,186) in Flanders and €20,191 (US$ 27,258) in Wallonia. Although equalization payments between richer and poorer regions are common in federal states,

2754-947: A regular contributor to Project Syndicate since 2001. According to philosopher Helga Kuhse , Singer is almost certainly the best-known and most widely read of all contemporary philosophers. Michael Specter wrote that Singer is among the most influential of contemporary philosophers. He co-founded the open-access Journal of Controversial Ideas along with bioethicist Francesca Minerva and moral philosopher Jeff McMahan in 2018. Singer's Practical Ethics (1979) analyzes why and how living beings' interests should be weighed. His principle of equal consideration of interests does not dictate equal treatment of all those with interests, since different interests warrant different treatment. While all have an interest in avoiding pain, relatively few have an interest in cultivating their abilities. Not only does his principle justify different treatment for different interests, but it allows different treatment for

2907-408: A regulated capitalist economy coupled with a welfare and health care system that meets the basic needs of those who do not thrive in the capitalist economy." Singer added that "[i]f we ever do find a better system, I'll be happy to call myself an anti-capitalist." Similarly, in his book Marx , Singer is sympathetic to Karl Marx 's criticism of capitalism but is skeptical about whether a better system

3060-475: A reputation publishing literary works in original Dutch and in translation. For many decades, the company was led by Laurens van Krevelen, who received the Jan Hein Donner Award (a prestigious Dutch prize, awarded once every five years to notable persons in the publishing industry) in 2007. Meulenhoff was acquired by the books division of PCM Uitgevers , then by Lannoo. In 2001, Meulenhoff was rocked by

3213-489: A resident of Ormond College at the University of Melbourne , earning a bachelor's degree in 1967. Singer explained that he elected to major in philosophy after his interest was piqued by discussions with his sister's then-boyfriend. He earned a master's degree for a thesis entitled Why Should I Be Moral? at the same university in 1969. He was awarded a scholarship to study at the University of Oxford and obtained from there

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3366-524: A result of escalating internal conflicts the Volksunie ceased to exist in 2000, splitting into two new parties: Spirit and N-VA ( Nieuwe Vlaamse Alliantie , New Flemish Alliance). Both parties tried their luck in cartel with a bigger party, N-VA allying with the Christian Democrats of CD&V , and Spirit with the Flemish socialists of SP.a . The cartel CD&V – N-VA emerged as the clear winner of

3519-400: A result, he argues that the preference of a mother to have an abortion automatically takes precedence. In sum, Singer argues that a fetus lacks personhood . Similar to his argument for abortion rights, Singer argues that newborns lack the essential characteristics of personhood—"rationality, autonomy, and self-consciousness" —and therefore "killing a newborn baby is never equivalent to killing

3672-400: A scheme would make the Flemish government responsible for nearly all aspects of government, whereas some important aspects of government are currently the responsibility of the Belgian federal government. The Belgian capital of Brussels would remain a city where both Dutch-speaking and French-speaking citizens share equal rights. As of 2010, the confederalist parties make up more than half of

3825-571: A selection of charities deemed by charity evaluators such as GiveWell to be the most effective when it comes to helping those in extreme poverty. TLYCS was founded after Singer released his 2009 eponymous book , in which he argues more generally in favour of giving to charities that help to end global poverty. In particular, he expands upon some of the arguments made in his 1972 essay " Famine, Affluence, and Morality ", in which he posits that citizens of rich nations are morally obligated to give at least some of their disposable income to charities that help

3978-473: A step for an eventual addition to the bilingual region of Brussels, even though that would be unconstitutional. As a result, the number of French-speaking people in these regions (mostly around Brussels) did not decline, and contain a growing majority of French-speaking Belgians, even though they reside in the officially monolingual Flanders. Francization is considered frustrating by the Flemish Movement and

4131-452: A way that supposedly differentiates us from all other "animals". He popularised the term " speciesism ", which had been coined by English writer Richard D. Ryder to describe the practice of privileging humans over other animals, and therefore argues in favour of the equal consideration of interests of all sentient beings. In Animal Liberation , Singer argues in favour of vegetarianism and against most animal experimentation . He stated in

4284-558: Is "right". He concludes that game theory (the mathematical study of strategy) and experiments in psychology offer hope that self-interested people would make short-term sacrifices for the good of others, if society provides the right conditions. Singer argues that although humans possess selfish, competitive tendencies naturally, they have a substantial capacity for cooperation that also has been selected for during human evolution . Singer's writing in Greater Good magazine, published by

4437-503: Is a cofounder of Animals Australia and the founder of the non-profit organization The Life You Can Save. Peter Singer was born in Melbourne , Victoria, Australia, on 6 July 1946. His parents were Austrian Jews who immigrated to Australia from Vienna after Austria's annexation ( Anschluss ) by Nazi Germany in 1938, and settled in Melbourne. His paternal grandparents were taken by

4590-414: Is a member of Giving What We Can , an international organisation whose members pledge to give at least 10% of their income to effective charities. Published in 1975, Animal Liberation has been cited as a formative influence on leaders of the modern animal liberation movement . The central argument of the book is an expansion of the utilitarian concept that "the greatest good of the greatest number"

4743-423: Is an ethical position that grants moral consideration to all sentient beings. Singer's ideas have contributed to the rise of effective altruism. He argues that people should try not only to reduce suffering but to reduce it in the most effective manner possible. While Singer has previously written at length about the moral imperative to reduce poverty and eliminate the suffering of nonhuman animals, particularly in

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4896-495: Is generally explained as caused by an influx of "moderate" Flemish voters who do not support the party's eventual aim of Flemish independence but do want consistent and far-reaching reforms with greater autonomy for the regions, something they no longer trust the traditional parties to be able to achieve. On the Walloon side, the Parti Socialiste (PS), led by Elio Di Rupo , received an even stronger electoral mandate with 37% of

5049-497: Is in my opinion unacceptable for representation at your level." Conservative psychiatrist Theodore Dalrymple wrote in 2010 that Singerian moral universalism is "preposterous—psychologically, theoretically, and practically". In 2002, disability rights activist Harriet McBryde Johnson debated Singer, challenging his belief that it is morally permissible to euthanise newborn children with severe disabilities. "Unspeakable Conversations", Johnson's account of her encounters with Singer and

5202-409: Is likely to be created, writing: "Marx saw that capitalism is a wasteful, irrational system, a system which controls us when we should be controlling it. That insight is still valid; but we can now see that the construction of a free and equal society is a more difficult task than Marx realized." Singer is opposed to the death penalty, claiming that it does not effectively deter the crimes for which it

5355-401: Is not fully vegan because he occasionally consumes oysters , mussels , and clams due to their lack of a central nervous system. According to Singer, meat-eating can be ethically permissible if "farms really give the animals good lives, and then humanely kill them, preferably without transporting them to slaughterhouses or disturbing them. In Animal Liberation , I don't really say that it's

5508-487: Is not just physically but also cognitively impaired (which they contest), then D.J. may not even understand the concept of consent, and it "seems reasonable to assume that the experience was pleasurable to him", as "he was capable of struggling to resist." Robinson called this a "rape", and considers that Singer and McMahan's argument implies that it would be permissible to rape or sexually assault sufficiently disabled people as long as they do not try to resist. Roger Scruton

5661-418: Is not limited to the size of the transfers but also extends to the lack of transparency and the presumed inability or unwillingness of the recipients to use the money wisely and thus close the economic gap with Flanders. Although no longer relevant in the current economic context, the discussion is often exacerbated by the historic fact that even in the 19th century, when Flanders was much the poorer region, there

5814-523: Is shared with several Dutch right-winged activists and nationalists, as well as some mainstream politicians both in the Netherlands and Flanders (such as Louis Tobback , the former mayor of Leuven and former minister of defence and Eurocommissioner Frits Bolkestein ). The N-VA takes a gradualist approach looking to transfer powers to Flanders and the EU working towards the final goal of an independent Flanders as

5967-526: Is that many Dutch-speaking soldiers were slaughtered because they could not understand orders given to them in French by French speaking officers. Whether a disproportionate number of Flemish died in the war compared to Walloons remains a point of contention to this day. It is clear, however, that the Belgian army de facto had only French as the official language. The phrase "et pour les Flamands, la meme chose" originated in this environment also, allegedly being used by

6120-637: Is that to which the subject consents. He argues in favour of voluntary euthanasia and some forms of non-voluntary euthanasia, including infanticide in certain instances, but opposes involuntary euthanasia. Bioethicists associated with the disability rights and disability studies communities have argued that his epistemology is based on ableist conceptions of disability. Singer's positions have also been criticised by some advocates for disability rights and right-to-life supporters, concerned with what they see as his attacks upon human dignity . Religious critics have argued that Singer's ethics ignores and undermines

6273-541: Is the Vlaamse Volksbeweging (VVB, Flemish People's Movement). In recent history, the Flemish Movement has increasingly grown amid the 2007-2011 Belgian political crisis and its aftermath. Since 2010, the separatist N-VA party has been the biggest polled in Flanders, while Vlaams Belang has become the second largest in the 2019 federal and regional elections. In the Spanish and then Austrian Netherlands in

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6426-431: Is the only measure of good or ethical behaviour, and Singer believes that there is no reason not to apply this principle to other animals, arguing that the boundary between human and "animal" is completely arbitrary. For example, there are far more differences between a great ape and an oyster than between a human and a great ape, and yet the former two are lumped together as "animals", whereas we are considered "human" in

6579-481: Is the punitive measure, and that he cannot see any other justification for it. In 2010, Singer signed a petition renouncing his right of return to Israel because it is "a form of racist privilege that abets the colonial oppression of the Palestinians." Singer called on Jill Stein to withdraw from the 2016 United States presidential election in states that were close between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on

6732-415: Is to elevate the status of animals, not to lower that of humans. American publisher Steve Forbes ceased his donations to Princeton University in 1999 because of Singer's appointment to a prestigious professorship. Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal wrote to organisers of a Swedish book fair to which Singer was invited that "[a] professor of morals ... who justifies the right to kill handicapped newborns ...

6885-525: The Phenomenology sentence by sentence, until they yielded their meaning". One day at Balliol College in Oxford, he had what he refers to as probably the decisive formative experience of his life. He was having a discussion after class with fellow graduate student Richard Keshen , who would later become a professor at Cape Breton University . During their lunch Keshen opted to have a salad after being told that

7038-513: The Adlerian Society for Individual Psychology. Singer later wrote a biography of Oppenheim. Singer is an atheist and was raised in a prosperous, non-religious family. His father had a successful business importing tea and coffee. His family rarely observed Jewish holidays, and Singer declined to have a Bar Mitzvah . Singer attended Preshil , and later Scotch College . After leaving school, Singer studied law, history, and philosophy as

7191-699: The Australian Academy of the Humanities in 1981. He was inducted into the United States Animal Rights Hall of Fame in 2000. In June 2012, Singer was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) 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 received Philosophy Now ' s 2016 Award for Contributions in

7344-599: The Australian Labor Party in 1974 but resigned after disillusionment with the centrist leadership of Bob Hawke ; in 1992, he became a founding member of the Victorian Greens . He has run for political office twice for the Greens: he received 28% of the vote in the 1994 Kooyong by-election , and received 3% of the vote in 1996 when running for the Australian Senate (elected by proportional representation ). Before

7497-576: The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the category of "Humanities and Social Sciences". Since 1968, Singer has been married to Renata Singer (née Diamond; born in 1947 in Wałbrzych , Poland). They have three children: Ruth, a textile artist; Marion, a law student and youth arts specialist; and Esther, a linguist and teacher. Singer's wife is a novelist and author, and has collaborated on publications with her husband. Until 2021, she

7650-672: The Francophone Belgian elites were in fact opposed to the revolution and wanted to remain within the United Kingdom of the Netherlands , considering that their interests would be better served there. This led to a movement called " Orangism " which spread among a substantial part of the French-speaking elites of Flanders , Brussels and Wallonia . After the Belgian revolution , protests occurred in large Flemish cities, notably in Ghent , where

7803-568: The French Revolution and Napoleon 's conquests, today's Belgium was attached to France in 1795. France imposed its official language on the Belgian territory with the result of accelerating the conversion of the upper class from current Wallonia and Flanders to the French language. At that time, most of the population however spoke Germanic languages and dialects in the north and south ( Flemish , Brabantian , Limburgish and Luxembourgish ) as well as Romance languages and dialects in

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7956-564: The Greater Good Science Center of the University of California, Berkeley , explores scientific studies on why people are compassionate, selfless, and capable of forming peaceful relationships. Singer has criticized the United States for receiving "oil from countries run by dictators ... who pocket most of the" financial gains, thus "keeping the people in poverty". Singer believes that the wealth of these countries "should belong to

8109-409: The University of Duisburg where the main text used was Singer's Practical Ethics was, according to Singer, "subjected to organised and repeated disruption by protesters objecting to the use of the book on the grounds that in one of its ten chapters it advocates active euthanasia for severely disabled newborn infants". The protests led to the course being shut down. When Singer tried to speak during

8262-608: The Vermeylenfonds had been founded in 1945, the Flemish Movement lay dormant for nearly 20 years following the Second World War. In the 1960s the Flemish movement once more gathered momentum and, in 1962, the linguistic borders within Belgium were finally drawn up with Brussels being designated as a bilingual city. Also, in 1967 an official Dutch version of the Belgian Constitution was adopted. For more than 130 years,

8415-747: The Willemsfonds in 1851, and the Davidsfonds in 1875. The first Vlaemsch Verbond (Constant Leirens, Ghent) and the Nederduitse Bond , were founded in 1861. The Liberale Vlaemsche Bond was founded in 1867. Writers such as Julius de Geyter and Max Rooses were active in the Nederduitse Bond . On 26 September 1866, Julius de Geyter founded the Vlaamsche Bond in Antwerp. The Flemish weekly magazine Het Volksbelang , founded by Julius Vuylsteke , appeared for

8568-441: The meat industry , he writes about how the effective altruism movement is doing these things more effectively in his 2015 book The Most Good You Can Do . He is a board member of Animal Charity Evaluators , a charity evaluator used by many members of the effective altruism community which recommends the most cost-effective animal advocacy charities and interventions. His own organisation, The Life You Can Save (TLYCS), recommends

8721-399: The socialist Camille Huysmans (together they were called the three crowing cocks ) worked together for the introduction of Dutch at Ghent University . In 1911 the proposal by Lodewijk De Raet to this end was accepted, though it would not be implemented until 1930. With the coming of the 20th century the Flemish Movement became more radical and during World War I some activists welcomed

8874-455: The textile industry was deeply hurt by the new political situation. Those events are however not to be misplaced in time, as they occurred months after the actual revolution. Upon Belgium becoming an independent state from the Netherlands, there was an (administrative) reaction against the Dutch and their language. In an attempt to remove Dutch from the new country, Belgian officials declared that

9027-547: The 18th century and until the Brabant Revolution, the language of the literate was Spanish and then gradually French, but accompanied by a vernacular language. Language problems did not arise at that time. In 1788 Jan Baptist Chrysostomus Verlooy (1747–1797), a jurist and politician from the Southern Netherlands , wrote an essay titled Verhandeling op d'Onacht der moederlycke tael in de Nederlanden (Essay on

9180-491: The 1920s the first Flemish nationalist party was elected. In the 1930s the Flemish Movement grew ever larger and Dutch was recognized for the first time as the sole language of Flanders. In 1931, Joris Van Severen founded the Verbond van Dietse Nationaal-Solidaristen Verdinaso , a fascist movement in Flanders. During World War II, Belgium was once again occupied by Germany. The Third Reich enacted laws to protect and encourage

9333-414: The 1996 election, he co-authored a book The Greens with Bob Brown . In A Darwinian Left , Singer outlines a plan for the political left to adapt to the lessons of evolutionary biology . He says that evolutionary psychology suggests that humans naturally tend to be self-interested. He further argues that the evidence that selfish tendencies are natural must not be taken as evidence that selfishness

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9486-461: The BBC programme Monkeys, Rats and Me: Animal Testing and said that he felt that Tipu Aziz 's experiments on monkeys for research into treating Parkinson's disease could be justified. Whereas Singer has continued since the publication of Animal Liberation to promote vegetarianism and veganism, he has been much less vocal in recent years on the subject of animal experimentation. Singer has defended some of

9639-526: The Belgian GNP between 1830 and 1918 went to Wallonia. This had as a consequence that Wallonia had a surplus of large coal mines and iron ore facilities, while Flanders , to a large extent, remained a rural, farming region. When Belgium became independent, the economy of Flanders was hard hit. Antwerp was now almost impossible to reach by ships (The Scheldt River was blocked by the Netherlands) and foreign trade

9792-561: The Belgian general election in June 2007 on a platform promising a far-reaching reform of the state. However, coalition negotiations with the French-speaking parties, who rejected any reform, proved extremely difficult. When the CD&;V leader Yves Leterme was eventually able to form a government, his reform plans had been greatly diluted and with the onset of the financial crisis in the autumn of 2008 they were shelved completely. This led N-VA to break up

9945-471: The Belgian state over a confederal one. This view is shared with several social and cultural organisations such as the Vermeylenfonds (Vermeylen Foundation) or Willemsfonds , with labor unions, and with mutual health insurance organisations. The advocates of this view hope to improve the Belgian institutions so that they work correctly. In June 2006 a poll published by VRT found that 40% percent of respondents support Flemish independence. In December 2019

10098-526: The Dutch language and Flemish culture in Belgium. This movement became known as the Flemish Movement, but was more intellectual than social, with contributors such as the poets Guido Gezelle , Hugo Verriest  [ nl ] , and Albrecht Rodenbach (all of whom were associated with the Minor Seminary, Roeselare ). Cultural organizations promoting the Dutch language and Flemish culture were founded, such as

10251-400: The Dutch language in Belgium and, generally, to propagate ill-feelings between Flemings and Francophones , e.g. by setting free only Flemish prisoners-of-war (see Flamenpolitik ). The Nazis had no intentions of allowing the creation of an independent Flemish state or of a Greater Netherlands , and instead desired the complete annexation of not only Flanders (which they did de jure during

10404-548: The Dutch version of the Belgian constitution had been only a translation without legal value. The late 1960s saw all major Belgian political parties splitting up into either Flemish or Francophone wings. It also saw the emergence of the first major nationalist Flemish party, the Volksunie ( Popular Union ). In 1977 more radical far right-wing factions of the Volksunie became united and, together with earlier far right nationalist groups, formed Vlaams Blok . This party eventually overtook

10557-549: The Fight Against Stupidity for his efforts "to disturb the comfortable complacency with which many of us habitually ignore the desperate needs of others ... particularly for this work as it relates to the Effective Altruism movement". In 2018, Singer was cited in the book Rescuing Ladybugs by author and animal advocate Jennifer Skiff as a "hero among heroes in the world" who, in arguing against speciesism "gave

10710-564: The Flemish Movement. Ten of these soldiers were sent to a penal military unit in 1918 called the Special Forestry Platoon in Orne , Normandy , France. They were forced to work as woodchoppers in hard living conditions until several months after the war ended. Most of the Flemish population disapproved of those who collaborated with the German occupiers. The language reforms implemented by

10863-605: The Flemish Parliament, which combined with the separatist parties, would result in about 80% of the Flemish Parliament (and at least this much of the Flemish part of the Belgian Federal Parliament) occupied by parties who wish to see Flanders obtaining greater autonomy than is the case today. Several representatives of the SP.A and, to a lesser extent, the CD&V and VLD parties, prefer an improved federal organisation of

11016-484: The Flemish movement is that the Belgian revolution was a will of the French-speaking Belgians. They invoke that the volunteers were mainly Walloons and from the French-speaking bourgeoisie. This argument has also been invoked by Walloon nationalists in the past. Two studies conducted by prof. John W. Rooney Jr. and prof. Jean Stengers however contradict those statements. These studies have shown that

11169-683: The Flemish priest Adolf Daens , founded the Christene Volkspartij , which would cause a radicalization and democratization of the Catholic party . The first Flemish political success was the passing of the Gelijkheidswet (Equality law) in 1898 that for the first time recognized Dutch as equal to French in judicial matters (legal documents). The liberal politician Louis Franck , the Roman Catholic Frans Van Cauwelaert and

11322-615: The Flemish-Walloon animosity in order to further Germany's own aims and to boost the occupying power's position known as the Flamenpolitik . With German support, Flemish activists formed a regional government, known as the Raad van Vlaanderen (RVV) which declared Flemish autonomy in December 1917. During World War I several Flemish soldiers were punished for their active or passive involvement in

11475-450: The French-speaking officers to "translate" their orders into Dutch. It literally means "and for the Flemish, the same thing", which adds insult to injury for Flemish soldiers not understanding French. Another source of further frustration was the Belgian royal family's poor knowledge of Dutch. King Albert I enjoyed some popularity in the early ages of the war because he was a proponent of the bilingual status of Flanders – even though Wallonia

11628-572: The German media, with an article in Der Spiegel comparing Singer's positions to Nazism . Eventually, the symposium was cancelled and Singer's invitation withdrawn. A lecture at the Zoological Institute of the University of Zurich was interrupted by two groups of protesters. The first group was a group of disabled people who staged a brief protest at the beginning of the lecture. They objected to inviting an advocate of euthanasia to speak. At

11781-598: The Germanic element in Belgium." In 1838, another co-founder, senator Alexandre Gendebien , even declared that the Flemish were "one of the more inferior races on the Earth, just like the negroes". The economic heart of Belgium in those days was Flanders. However, Wallonia would soon take the lead due to the Industrial Revolution . The Belgian establishment deemed it unnecessary to invest in Flanders and no less than 80% of

11934-531: The Germans during occupation did not remain in place after the defeat of Germany. The collaboration and subsequent prosecution of certain leaders of the Flemish Movement did not produce a climate congenial to compromise. The Flemish Movement became more socially oriented through the Frontbeweging (Front Movement), an organization of Flemish soldiers who complained about the lack of consideration for their language in

12087-460: The Hobbesians, Singer attempts a response in the final chapter of Practical Ethics , arguing that self-interested reasons support adoption of the moral point of view, such as "the paradox of hedonism ", which counsels that happiness is best found by not looking for it, and the need most people feel to relate to something larger than their own concerns. Singer identifies as a sentientist ; sentientism

12240-598: The Nazis to Łódź , and were most likely murdered, since they were never heard from again; his maternal grandfather David Ernst Oppenheim (1881–1943), an educator and psychologist who collaborated with Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler , was murdered in the Theresienstadt concentration camp . Oppenheim was a member of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society and wrote a joint article with Sigmund Freud , before joining

12393-403: The Netherlands survived for a short period of 15 years; that was put to an end by the Belgian revolution . The revolution was due to a combination of factors, the main one being the difference of religion ( Catholic in today's Belgium , Protestant in today's Netherlands ). Other important factors also played a role in the independence. Among those factors, we can cite: A common grievance of

12546-537: The Netherlands. Flemish Movement The Flemish Movement ( Dutch : Vlaamse Beweging ) is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders . Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought to promote Flemish culture and the Dutch language as well as those seeking greater political autonomy for Flanders within Belgium. It also encompasses nationalists who seek

12699-518: The U.S." is "directed to helping people in extreme poverty, although there are some exceptions, most notably, of course, the Gates Foundation ." Singer describes himself as not anti-capitalist , stating in a 2010 interview with the New Left Project: "Capitalism is very far from a perfect system, but so far we have yet to find anything that clearly does a better job of meeting human needs than

12852-529: The United States to pressure the Trump administration to change its environmental policies. In 2021, Singer described the war on drugs as an expensive, ineffective and extremely harmful policy. Singer has argued that the right to life is essentially tied to a being's capacity to hold preferences. In Practical Ethics , Singer argues in favour of abortion rights on the grounds that fetuses are neither rational nor self-aware, and can therefore hold no preferences. As

13005-484: The Universe (2014), Singer shifted to the position that objective moral values do exist, and defends the 19th century utilitarian philosopher Henry Sidgwick 's view that objective morality can be derived from fundamental moral axioms that are knowable by reason. Additionally, he endorses Derek Parfit 's view that there are object-given reasons for action. Furthermore, Singer and Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek (the co-author of

13158-436: The Volksunie, only to be forced later, on the grounds of a discrimination conviction, to change its name to Vlaams Belang . It has become an important right-wing party of the Flemish Movement. During the existence of Belgium more and more Dutch-speaking regions have become French-speaking regions; for example, Mouscron (Moeskroen), Comines (Komen), and particularly Brussels (see Francization of Brussels ). Every ten years

13311-564: The actions of the Animal Liberation Front such as the stealing of footage from Thomas Gennarelli's laboratory in May 1984 (as shown in the documentary Unnecessary Fuss ) but condemned other actions such as the use of explosives by some animal-rights activists, and sees the freeing of captive animals as largely futile when they are easily replaced. Singer features in the 2017 documentary Empathy , directed by Ed Antoja, which aims to promote

13464-659: The aftermath of World War I . Inspired by authoritarian and fascist politics , it was widely discredited for its association with collaboration in German-occupied Belgium during World War II . However, it re-emerged in the post-war period under the auspices of the Volksunie (1954–2002) and increasingly permeated into other parties in Flanders. The Flemish Movement's right wing is dominated by right-wing nationalist organizations such as Vlaams Belang , Voorpost , Nationalistische Studentenvereniging (Nationalist Students Union), and several others. The most radical group on

13617-520: The amount, the visibility and the utilization of these financial transfers are a singularly important issue for the Flemish Movement. A study by the University of Leuven has estimated the size of the annual transfers from Flanders to Wallonia and Brussels in 2007 at 5.7 billion euros. If the effect of interest payments on the national debt is taken into account the figure could be as high as 11.3 billion euros or more than 6% of Flemish GDP. Flemish criticism

13770-612: The anxieties of those who hear only keywords that are understandably worrying (given the constant fears of ever repeating the Holocaust) if taken with any less than the full context of his belief system. In 1991, Singer was due to speak along with R. M. Hare and Georg Meggle  [ de ] at the 15th International Wittgenstein Symposium in Kirchberg am Wechsel , Austria. Singer has stated that threats were made to Adolf Hübner, then

13923-589: The army, and in Belgium in general, and harbored pacifistic feelings. The Frontbeweging became a political movement, dedicated to peace, tolerance and autonomy (Nooit Meer Oorlog, Godsvrede, Zelfbestuur). A yearly pilgrimage to the IJzertoren is still held to this day. The poet Anton van Wilderode wrote many texts for this occasion. Many rumours arose regarding the treatment of Flemish soldiers in World War I, though Flemish historians debunked many of these. One such rumour

14076-412: The basis that people's preferences can be universalised, leading to a situation where one takes the "point of view of the universe" and "an impartial standpoint". In the second edition of Practical Ethics , he concedes that the question of why we should act morally "cannot be given an answer that will provide everyone with overwhelming reasons for acting morally". When co-authoring The Point of View of

14229-455: The birth rate, and also that technology may reduce the consequences of rising human populations by (for instance) enabling more zero-greenhouse gas energy sources. In 2012, Singer's department sponsored the "Science and Ethics of Eliminating Aging" seminar at Princeton. In 1989 and 1990, Singer's work was the subject of a number of protests in Germany. A course in ethics led by Hartmut Kliemt at

14382-432: The book) argue that evolutionary debunking arguments can be used to demonstrate that it is more rational to take the impartial standpoint of "the point of view of the universe", as opposed to egoism—pursuing one's own self-interest—because the existence of egoism is more likely to be the product of evolution by natural selection, rather than because it is correct, whereas taking an impartial standpoint and equally considering

14535-546: The cartel in September 2008, withdrawing its parliamentary support for the federal government (which was thus left without a parliamentary majority in Flanders, a situation that is not unconstitutional but has been deemed undesirable by politicians and constitutional experts). The role of Spirit, which represented the more left-leaning part of the former Volksunie, gradually declined. After a series of defections, two unsuccessful attempts to broaden its appeal (each time accompanied by

14688-489: The complexities of some of these questions in his own life. His mother had Alzheimer's disease . He said, "I think this has made me see how the issues of someone with these kinds of problems are really very difficult." In an interview with Ronald Bailey , published in December 2000, he explained that his sister shares the responsibility of making decisions about his mother. He said that, if he were solely responsible, his mother might not continue to live. In 1985, Singer wrote

14841-451: The departure of long-time editor Tilly Hermans, for which the Dutch and other media blamed the corporate culture of then owner PCM Uitgevers . PCM, it was said, cared more for the bottom line than for the company's authors and editors, and was blamed for a "purge" that also led to the early retirement of van Krevelen. After more than thirty years with Meulenhoff Hermans founded Augustus, a smaller publishing house. Thirty authors followed her to

14994-519: The disregard of the native language in the Low Countries). It is considered to be the first movement in favour of the Flemish language, but also in favour of freedom and democracy. Before the creation of the Belgian state , the French language had already been for centuries a lingua franca for the bourgeoisie and noble elites among Europe (including the territories that would then become Belgium). With

15147-465: The end of this protest, when Singer tried to address their concerns, a second group of protesters rose and began chanting Singer raus! Singer raus! ("Singer out!" in German) When Singer attempted to respond, a protester jumped on stage and grabbed his glasses, and the host ended the lecture. Singer explains "my views are not threatening to anyone, even minimally", and says that some groups play on

15300-488: The fact that an embryo is a living human being is sufficient to show that it is wrong to kill it." Singer wishes "to see American jurisprudence, and the national abortion debate, take up the question of which capacities a human being needs to have in order for it to be wrong to kill it" as well as "when, in the development of the early human being, these capacities are present." Singer classifies euthanasia as voluntary , involuntary , or non-voluntary . Voluntary euthanasia

15453-402: The fighters. At the time, Brussels and the province of Brabant are mainly Brabantian -speaking (close to Flemish ), which shows that Flemish speakers actively took part in the Belgian revolution. Rooney concludes that 60% of the workers who took part in the revolution were Flemish speakers. According to the same study, the upper class accounted for only 5% of revolutionaries. A large part of

15606-519: The first time on 12 January 1867. In 1861, the first Flemish political party, the Meetingpartij was founded in Antwerp, by radical liberals, Catholics and Flamingants ( Jan Theodoor van Rijswijck , J. De Laet and E. Coremans), and it existed until 1914. In 1888, Julius Hoste Sr. founded the moderate liberal Flemish newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws , to support the Flemish Movement in Brussels. In 1893,

15759-420: The first-ever systematic estimate of the size of the annual global capture of wild fish. It is, she calculates, in the order of one trillion, although it could be as high as 2.7tn." Some chapters of Animal Liberation are dedicated to criticising testing on animals. Unlike groups such as PETA , Singer is willing to accept testing when there is a clear benefit for medicine. In November 2006, Singer appeared on

15912-461: The food's energy just to breathe and keep their bodies warm. In a 2010 Guardian article he titled, "Fish: the forgotten victims on our plate", Singer drew attention to the welfare of fish. He quoted author Alison Mood's startling statistics from a report she wrote, which was released on fishcount.org.uk just a month before the Guardian article. Singer states that she "has put together what may well be

16065-449: The global poor. He supports this using the "drowning child analogy", which states that most people would rescue a drowning child from a pond, even if it meant that their expensive clothes were ruined. He argues that similarly, lives could be saved, notably by donating to effective charities, and that as a result a significant portion of the money spent on unnecessary possessions should instead be donate to charity. Since November 2009, Singer

16218-418: The god who made the world cannot be all-powerful and all good. He must be either evil or a bungler." In keeping with his considerations of nonhuman animals, Singer also takes issue with the original sin reply to the problem of evil, saying that, "animals also suffer from floods, fires, and droughts, and, since they are not descended from Adam and Eve, they cannot have inherited original sin." Singer supports

16371-590: The government counted the people who spoke Dutch and those who spoke French. These countings always favoured the French-speaking part of Belgium. In 1962 the Linguistic Border was drawn. In order to do so, a complicated compromise with the French-speakers was orchestrated: Brussels had to be recognised as an autonomous and bilingual region while Flanders and Wallonia remained monolingual regions. The French-speakers also demanded that in certain regions where there

16524-539: The grounds that the stakes were "too high". He argued against the view that there was no significant difference between Clinton and Trump, whilst also saying that he would not advocate such a tactic in Australia's electoral system, which allows for ranking of preferences. When writing in 2017 on Trump's climate change denial and plans to withdraw from the Paris Accords, Singer advocated a boycott of all consumer goods from

16677-452: The injunction to 'love thy neighbour as thyself', interpreted by him as demanding that one give the same weight to the interests of others as one gives to one's own interests. This universalising step, which Singer traces from Immanuel Kant to Hare, is crucial and sets him apart from those moral theorists, from Thomas Hobbes to David Gauthier , who tie morality to prudence. Universalisation leads directly to utilitarianism, Singer argues, on

16830-578: The interests of all sentient beings is in conflict with what we would expect from natural selection, meaning that it is more likely that impartiality in ethics is the correct stance to pursue. Whilst a student in Melbourne, Singer campaigned against the Vietnam War as president of the Melbourne University Campaign Against Conscription. He also spoke publicly for the legalization of abortion in Australia . Singer joined

16983-399: The issue ( Animal Machines by Ruth Harrison ) and within a week or two he approached his wife saying that he thought they needed to make a change to their diet and that he did not think they could justify eating meat. After spending three years as a Radcliffe lecturer at University College, Oxford , he was a visiting professor at New York University for 16 months, where he influenced

17136-426: The killing that makes [meat-eating] wrong, it's the suffering." In an article for the online publication Chinadialogue , Singer called Western-style meat production cruel, unhealthy, and damaging to the ecosystem. He rejected the idea that the method was necessary to meet the population's increasing demand, explaining that animals in factory farms have to eat food grown explicitly for them, and they burn up most of

17289-541: The left side is the socialist and Flemish independentist Flemish-Socialist Movement . The militant wing also still comprises several moderate groups such as the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA, Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie), and several extra-parliamentary organisations, many of which are represented in the Overlegcentrum van Vlaamse Verenigingen (OVV, Consultation Centre of Flemish Associations). The most important of these

17442-425: The lives of others. So, instead of targeting specific diseases that are much more likely to occur when people have reached a certain age, wouldn't a better strategy be to try to forestall or repair the damage done to our bodies by the aging process? Singer worries that "If we discover how to slow aging, we might have a world in which the poor majority must face death at a time when members of the rich minority are only

17595-575: The minister of justice: "Les premiers principes d'une bonne administration sont basés sur l'emploi exclusif d'une langue, et il est évident que la seule langue des Belges doit être le français. Pour arriver à ce résultat, il est nécessaire que toutes les fonctions civiles et militaires soient confiées à des Wallons et à des Luxembourgeois; de cette manière, les Flamands, privés temporairement des avantages attachés à ces emplois, seront contraints d'apprendre le français, et l'on détruira ainsi peu à peu l'élément germanique en Belgique." "The first principles of

17748-544: The modern world permission to believe what we innately know – that animals are sentient and that we have a moral obligation not to exploit or mistreat them." The book states that Singer's "moral philosophy on animal equality was sparked when he asked a fellow student at Oxford University a simple question about his eating habits." In 2021, Singer was awarded the US$ 1-million Berggruen Prize , and decided to give it away. He decided in particular to give half of

17901-399: The new publishing house, including Rudy Kousbroek and Adriaan van Dis ). Others who left were Maarten Biesheuvel and Stefan Hertmans . Authors published by Meulenhoff include: Alicia Austin , Maarten Biesheuvel . Roberto Bolaño , Stefan Hertmans , Annemarie Kindt, Mario Vargas Llosa , Carl Lundgren , E. L. de Marigny, Jaime Martijn, Gabriel García Márquez , and Elie Wiesel M=SF

18054-466: The occupiers as "liberating Germanic brothers ". The young Marnix Gijsen and the poet Paul van Ostaijen were involved in this activist movement during the war. The Germans did indeed help out their "Germanic brothers" by setting Dutch as the sole administrative language and by creating the Dutch language Von Bissing University in Ghent. Such steps were dictated by the German tactics of taking advantage of

18207-465: The only official language in Belgium now was French. The Administration, Justice System, and higher education (apart from elementary schools in Flanders) all functioned in the French language. Even Brussels, the capital where more than 95% of the population spoke Dutch, lacked a formal, state-sanctioned Flemish school of higher education. The consequence was that every contact with the government and justice

18360-466: The people" within them rather than their "de facto government. In paying dictators for their oil, we are in effect buying stolen goods, and helping to keep people in poverty." Singer holds that America "should be doing more to assist people in extreme poverty". He is disappointed in U.S. foreign aid policy, deeming it "a very small proportion of our GDP, less than a quarter of some other affluent nations." Singer maintains that little "private philanthropy from

18513-594: The pocket books were translated classics for the modest price of 1,25 guilder . The Prisma dictionaries were also part of this line. Gradually the publishing company became one of the largest in the Netherlands. Dutch authors that have been published through the Het Spectrum imprints include Godfried Bomans , Han van Bree, Hubrecht Duijker, L. T. F. Gamut , Ben Tiggelaar, and Janwillem van de Wetering . International authors include Dorothy Parker , Dr. Phil , Peter Singer , Edgar Wallace , and P. G. Wodehouse . Unieboek

18666-561: The president of the Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society, that the conference would be disrupted if Singer and Meggle were given a platform. Hübner proposed to the board of the society that Singer's invitation, as well as the invitations of a number of other speakers, be withdrawn. The Society decided to cancel the symposium. In an article originally published in The New York Review of Books , Singer argued that

18819-469: The prize money to his foundation The Life You Can Save, because "over the last three years, each dollar spent by it generated an average of $ 17 in donations for its recommended nonprofits". He added he has never taken money for personal use from the organisation. Moreover, he plans to donate more than a third of the money to organisations combating intensive animal farming , and recommended as effective by Animal Charity Evaluators . For 2022, Singer received

18972-485: The pro-euthanasia movement, was published in the New York Times Magazine in 2003. In 2015, Singer debated Archbishop Anthony Fisher on the legalisation of euthanasia at Sydney Town Hall . Singer rejected arguments that legalising euthanasia would result in a slippery slope where the practice might become widespread as a means to remove undesirable people for financial or other motives. Singer has experienced

19125-460: The protests dramatically increased the amount of coverage he received, saying that "instead of a few hundred people hearing views at lectures in Marburg and Dortmund, several millions read about them or listened to them on television". Despite this, Singer argues that it has led to a difficult intellectual climate, with professors in Germany unable to teach courses on applied ethics and campaigns demanding

19278-420: The real distinction between persons and animals." Anthropologists have criticised Singer's foundational essay "Animal Liberation", published in 1973, for comparing the interests of "slum children" with the interests of the rats that bite them – at a time when poor and predominantly Black American children were regularly attacked and bitten by rats, sometimes fatally. Singer was elected a corresponding fellow of

19431-712: The resignation of professors who invited Singer to speak. Singer was criticised in 2017 for an op-ed co-written with Jeff McMahan , in which he defends Anna Stubblefield , who was convicted of aggravated sexual assault against D.J., a man with severe physical disability. Singer and McMahan argued that the judge refused to consider independent evidence that D.J. was indirectly able to communicate, and could have been interrogated. They argued that Anna Stubblefield believes her love to be reciprocal, and that D.J. still had not given sign of hostility towards Stubblefield. Nathan J. Robinson , founder of Current Affairs , criticised when Singer and McMahan wrote that even supposing that D.J.

19584-517: The same interest when diminishing marginal utility is a factor. For example, this approach would privilege a starving person's interest in food over the same interest of someone who is only slightly hungry. Among the more important human interests are those in avoiding pain, in developing one's abilities, in satisfying basic needs for food and shelter, in enjoying warm personal relationships, in being free to pursue one's projects without interference, "and many others". The fundamental interest that entitles

19737-567: The secession of Flanders from Belgium, either through outright independence or (re)unification with the Netherlands . In the 19th century, the Flemish Movement emerged around a form of cultural patriotism which celebrated Flemish traditions and history and sought equal status for Dutch in the Belgian nation-state , often under the auspices of the Catholic Church . Although gaining many of its initial objectives, it became increasingly radical in

19890-502: The second half of the 20th century. In 2015, the publishing group acquired the Belgian publisher Academia Press . Uitgeverij Lannoo is a Belgian publishing company, based in Tielt , with three subsidiaries: LannooMeulenhoff is a Dutch publishing company, based in Amsterdam , with three subsidiaries. Meulenhoff was founded in 1895 by Johannes Marius Meulenhoff . Over the years, it built

20043-471: The south of the territory ( Walloon , Picard , Champenois and Lorrain ) which were not standardized and unified languages. Those people often could not understand or speak any French. After the fall of Napoleon , the Congress of Vienna of 1815 led to the creation of a buffer state : the United Kingdom of the Netherlands composed of today's Netherlands , Luxembourg and Belgium . The United Kingdom of

20196-427: The spaghetti sauce contained meat. Singer had the spaghetti. Singer eventually questioned Keshen about his reason for avoiding meat. Keshen explained his ethical objections. Singer would later state, "I'd never met a vegetarian who gave such a straightforward answer that I could understand and relate to." Keshen later introduced Singer to his vegetarian friends. Singer was able to find one book in which he could read up on

20349-456: The split of the political parties into Flemish and Walloon wings. The following 2014 election saw large electoral gains for N-VA, mostly at the expense of VB. The militant wing of the Flemish Movement such as the Vlaams Belang advocates the foundation of an independent Flemish republic, separating from Wallonia. A part of this militant wing also advocates reunion with the Netherlands. This view

20502-641: The strength of the thought that one's own interests cannot count for more than the interests of others. The utilitarian conclusion is that one must adopt the course of action that likely maximises the weighted interests of those affected. Singer's universalising step applies to interests without reference to who has them, whereas the Kantian's applies to the judgments of rational agents (for example in Kant's kingdom of Ends or John Rawls 's original position ). Singer regards Kantian universalisation as unjust to animals. As for

20655-513: The subject from a secular , utilitarian perspective. He wrote the book Animal Liberation (1975), in which he argues for vegetarianism , and the essay " Famine, Affluence, and Morality ", which argues the moral imperative of donating to help the poor around the world. For most of his career, he was a preference utilitarian . He revealed in The Point of View of the Universe (2014), coauthored with Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek , that he had become

20808-522: The traditional notion of the sanctity of life . Singer agrees and believes the notion of the sanctity of life ought to be discarded as outdated, unscientific, and irrelevant to understanding problems in contemporary bioethics. Disability rights activists have held many protests against Singer at Princeton University and at his lectures over the years. Singer has replied that many people judge him based on secondhand summaries and short quotations taken out of context, not on his books or articles, and that his aim

20961-412: The vast majority of the revolutionaries originated from Brussels and from the province of Brabant and were of modest origin. According to John W. Rooney Jr., between 73% and 88% of the dead and injured were from Brussels and 91% and 95% were from Brabant. Jean Stengers reaches the same conclusion (76% of the fighters from Brussels ). Prof. Els Witte comes to the same conclusion regarding the origin of

21114-489: The view that medical intervention into the ageing process would do more to improve human life than research on therapies for specific chronic diseases in the developed world. He stated: In developed countries, aging is the ultimate cause of 90 per cent of all human deaths. Thus, treating aging is a form of preventive medicine for all of the diseases of old age. Moreover, even before aging leads to our death, it reduces our capacity to enjoy our lives and to contribute positively to

21267-514: The views of James Rachels and Peter Unger about animals and famine. In 1977, he returned to Melbourne where he spent most of his career, aside from appointments as visiting faculty abroad, until his move to Princeton in 1999. In June 2011, Singer joined the professoriate of New College of the Humanities , a private college in London, in addition to his work at Princeton. Singer gave his last lecture at Princeton in 2023, and has retired. He has been

21420-520: The vote. After the election, coalition negotiations started with seven parties: N-VA, CD&V, SP.a and Groen! on the Flemish side, and PS, CDH (nominally Christian Democrat but very much left of centre) and the green party Ecolo on the Francophone side. The talks soon ran into serious difficulties, mainly because of the totally opposed objectives of the two victors: the N-VA economically conservative but with

21573-463: The war through the establishment of a " Reichsgau Flandern " in late 1944), but all of the Low Countries as "racially Germanic" components of a Greater Germanic Reich . Most Flemish nationalists embraced collaboration as a means to more autonomy. Because of this collaboration by a few, after the war being part of the Flemish movement was associated with having collaborated with the enemy. While

21726-560: Was a science fiction and fantasy novels series by Meulenhoff. Imprints of Meulenhoff Boekerij include: Het Spectrum was established in 1935 by book sellers P.H. Bogaard and A.H. Bloemsma. Its first location was a room above a bakery in de Biltstraat in Utrecht . Het Spectrum started as a progressive - Catholic publisher that aspired to supply good reading materials to the masses. Hence it published many pocket books. After World War II , this formula continued as Prisma Pockets . Among

21879-460: Was a minority of more than 30% French-speaking or Dutch-speaking people; there would be language facilities . This means that these people can communicate with the government in their birth language. The Flemish saw these facilities as a measure of integration to another language, as opposed to viewing it as a recognition of a permanent linguistic minority. The French-speaking people, however, saw these language facilities as an acquired right, and

22032-444: Was a net transfer from Flanders to Wallonia; this was mainly because of relatively heavier taxation of agriculture than of industrial activity. The tax system was never adjusted to reflect the industrial affluence of Wallonia, which led to an imbalance in tax revenue placing Flanders (average for 1832–1912 period: 44% of the population, 44% of total taxes) at a disadvantage compared with Wallonia (38% of population, 30% of taxes). As

22185-497: Was a speaker at the 2012 Global Atheist Convention . He has debated with Christians including John Lennox and Dinesh D'Souza . Singer has pointed to the problem of evil as an objection against the Christian conception of God. He stated: "The evidence of our own eyes makes it more plausible to believe that the world was not created by any god at all. If, however, we insist on believing in divine creation, we are forced to admit that

22338-479: Was acquired by PCM Uitgevers. PCM was acquired by De Persgroep in 2003. Lannoo acquired Het Spectrum in 2010. In 2018 Unieboek Het Spectrum operates from Houten through the following imprints (with specializations): Uitgeverij TerraLannoo is in charge of sales and marketing in the Netherlands of publications by the Belgian publishers Terra, Lannoo, and Lannoo Campus. It also manages the Michelin publications in

22491-507: Was conducted in French. This led to a number of erroneous legal judgements where innocent people received the death penalty because they were not able to verbally defend themselves at trials. The French-speaking Belgian government succeeded in removing the Dutch language from all levels of government more quickly in Brussels than in any other part of Flanders. Because the administration was centered in Brussels, more and more French-speaking officials took up residency there. Education in Brussels

22644-442: Was critical of the consequentialist , utilitarian approach of Singer. Scruton alleged that Singer's works, including Animal Liberation (1975), "contain little or no philosophical argument. They derive their radical moral conclusions from a vacuous utilitarianism that counts the pain and pleasure of all living things as equally significant and that ignores just about everything that has been said in our philosophical tradition about

22797-399: Was drastically affected. The prosperous textile industry of Ghent lost a major portion of its market to Amsterdam. It was decades after the Belgian revolution that Flemish intellectuals such as Jan Frans Willems , Philip Blommaert , Karel Lodewijk Ledeganck , Ferdinand Augustijn Snellaert , August Snieders , Prudens van Duyse , and Hendrik Conscience began to call for recognition of

22950-677: Was founded 1968 by Cornelis Anthonie Jacobus van Dishoeck (1921−1990), grandson and namesake of the publisher Cornelis Anthonie Jacobus van Dishoeck (1863−1931). The publisher included the imprints Van Holkema & Warendorf , Van Goor , Van Reemst , and Lifestyle & Wellbeing . Authors published by Unieboek and its subsidiaries include Suzanne Collins , Marion van de Coolwijk, Arend van Dam, Jaap ter Haar, Vivian den Hollander, Rik Hoogendoorn, Bouke Jagt, Jan van der Made, Tosca Menten, Mirjam Mous, Francine Oomen, Janneke Schotveld, Ben Tiggelaar (also at Het Spectrum), Jacques Vriens , Dolf de Vries , and Harm de Jonge. In September 1999, Het Spectrum

23103-554: Was founded in 1993. In 1994 Godfried Lannoo resigned as general manager to be replaced by his son Matthias Lannoo. In 1999 Lannoo acquired the Dutch publishing house Terra Zutphen and reorganized it into TerraLannoo . In 2003 the company set up its own scientific publishing house in Leuven, LannooCampus . In 2010, the company acquired the Dutch publishers Meulenhoff Boekerij and Unieboek Het Spectrum . Since then, Lannoo publishes literature again, an activity that had almost fallen silent in

23256-502: Was monolingual French, because he declared his oath to be king in both French and Dutch, and because he gave a speech at the start of the war in Dutch, referring to the Battle of the Golden Spurs . In the last years of the war, however, it became clear that his only wish was to keep his country peaceful, and not to give the Flemish the rights the French-speaking establishment denied them. In

23409-486: Was only in French which led to a surplus of young, unskilled and uneducated Flemish men. Dutch was hardly taught in the French schools. For example: Dutch was worth 10 points in French schools, but drawing earned 15 points. Today 16% of Brussels is Dutch-speaking, whereas in 1830 it was over 95%. The French-speaking bourgeoisie showed very little respect for the Flemish portion of the population. Belgium's co-founder, Charles Rogier , wrote in 1832 to Jean-Joseph Raikem ,

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