This is simply the best philosophy film that I have ever seen, by far. It deserves to be broadcast in the US, but hasn't been, though it has been repeatedly aired in Britain, Australia, and Canada. It provides a fair representation of some of the most controversial aspects of the views of the world's most controversial and influential living moral philosopher. I personally tried to persuade PBS to air it in the US, but failed. I suggest that all readers ask their local public and university libraries to acquire it. You can view a clip and purchase it at Films. com.
Singer defends himself against some of the most rabid critics of his views on euthanasia and infanticide (euthanasia at the beginning of life), especially Singer's arch enemy Wesley Smith, an over-the-top American pro-life attorney. The scenes begin and end in Singer's home. In between we tag along for, among other things, a Princeton University class outing at a nearby neonatal unit, witness a radio station interview in Australia that begins with an outrageous comparison to a Nazi: "You've been accused of being Hitler, haven't you." We visit the family of Nancy Crick, who's mother took matters into her own hands and insisted on choosing her own ending, in spite of the law. In Britain we witness a chat between Singer and the disillusioned mother of a severely handicapped child who she narrowly saved from overly authoritarian physicians who were bent on doing him in against her wishes. The most poignant moments are Singer's reflections on his grand parents who suffered and died in Nazi occupied Europe, about whom he appears to be still in the process of writing the beautiful book which has been published as _Pushing Time Away_. GOOD STUFF!
Singer defends himself against some of the most rabid critics of his views on euthanasia and infanticide (euthanasia at the beginning of life), especially Singer's arch enemy Wesley Smith, an over-the-top American pro-life attorney. The scenes begin and end in Singer's home. In between we tag along for, among other things, a Princeton University class outing at a nearby neonatal unit, witness a radio station interview in Australia that begins with an outrageous comparison to a Nazi: "You've been accused of being Hitler, haven't you." We visit the family of Nancy Crick, who's mother took matters into her own hands and insisted on choosing her own ending, in spite of the law. In Britain we witness a chat between Singer and the disillusioned mother of a severely handicapped child who she narrowly saved from overly authoritarian physicians who were bent on doing him in against her wishes. The most poignant moments are Singer's reflections on his grand parents who suffered and died in Nazi occupied Europe, about whom he appears to be still in the process of writing the beautiful book which has been published as _Pushing Time Away_. GOOD STUFF!
