Peter Singer was born on July 6, 1946 in Melbourne, Australia to Jewish parents who had escaped the Nazi reign in Vienna. He grew up in Melbourne, attended the University of Melbourne, and proceeded to receive a B.A and M.A in philosophy in 1967 and 1969. He is best known for his works on human ethics and is considered one of the most controversial and influential philosophers that are alive today. His work as a philosopher is more well-known than his works as an Animal Rights Activist, Children's Activist, Civil Rights Activist, Environmental Activist, Women's Rights Activist, Anti-War Activist, or an academic author (SP 5). Most of Singer's work in applied ethics and his activism in politics were informed by his utilitarianism, the tradition in ethical philosophy that holds that actions are right or wrong depending on the extent to which they promote happiness or prevent pain. .
Singer's most controversial book, "Practical Ethics," evaluates the ethical foundations of sex discrimination, animal welfare, foreign aid, and abortion. Despite the controversy, Singer was honored as the Australian Humanist of the Year, added to Time Magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people, and was named a Companion of the Order of Australia. Most of Singer's works involves animals, abortions, or human nature, or foreign aid. In his article Ethical Cleansing, Singer dives into the ethics behind foreign aid to developing countries and why the most developed countries are not doing their part in helping.
Ethnic Cleansing was published to The Bulletin, an Australian news company, in 2004. During this time, the election of George W. Bush and the Australian government was the main focus. Singer starts off by stating that "22% of the electorate said that 'moral values' were the most important factor in their choice of candidate". Having said this, he begins to scrutinize Bush's as well as the Australian government's morality.
