'Is there still anything to live for? Is anything worth pursuing, apart from money, love and caring for one's own family? . . . In this book I give one answer. It is as ancient as the dawn of philosophy, but as much needed in our circumstances today as it ever was before. The answer is that we can live an ethical life.'

In How Are We to Live? Peter Singer suggests that people who take an ethical approach to life often escape from the trap of meaninglessness, finding a deeper satisfaction in what they are doing than people whose goals are narrower and more self-centred. He spells out what he means by an ethical approach to life, and shows that it can bring about significant and far-reaching changes to our lives.