Peter Singer's remarkably clear and comprehensive Practical Eth­ics has  become  a  classic  introduction  to  applied  ethics  since  its 
publication  in  1979  and  has  been  translated  into  many  languages.  For  this  second  edition  the  author  has  revised  all  the 
existing  chapters,  added  two  new  ones,  and  updated  the  bibliography.  He  has  also  added  an  appendix  describing  some  of 
the  deep misunderstanding of,  and consequent violent  reaction 
to,  the  book  in  Germany, Austria,  and  Switzerland where  the 
book  has  tested  the  limits  of  freedom  of  speech. 

The focus of the book  is the application of ethics  to difficult and 
controversial  social  questions:  equality  and  discrimination  by 
race,  sex,  ability,  or  species;  abortion,  euthanasia,  and  embryo 
experimentation;  the Moral Status of animals; political violence 
and civil  disobedience;  overseas aid and  the obligation  to assist 
others;  responsibility  for  the environment;  the  treatment of ref­ugees.  Singer  explains  and  assesses  relevant  arguments  in  a 
perspicuous,  non doctrinaire  way.  He  structures  the  book  to 
show  how  contemporary  controversies  often  have  deep  philosophical roots; and he presents an ethical theory of his own that 
can be applied  consistently and convincingly  to all  the practical 
cases. 

The  book's  primary  readership  remains  teachers  and  students 
of  ethics  whether  in  philosophy  or  some  other  branch  of  the 
humanities  or  social  sciences.  However,  such  is  the  clarity  of 
the book's style and structure that it should interest any thinking 
person concerned with  the most difficult social problems  facing 
us  as we  approach  the  twenty-frst  century.