October 1, 2014 | Stefanie Dion Jones - Neag School of Education

UConn Reads Kicks Off with Talk by Bioethics Expert

Philosopher Peter Singer will speak on the topic 'No Dilemma for Vegans: A Response to Pollan' at Jorgensen on Oct. 9.

Peter Singer, the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. (Denise Applewhite/Princeton University)
Peter Singer, the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. (Denise Applewhite/Princeton University)

Programming for UConn Reads 2014-15 kicks off next week with a talk by renowned philosopher and ethicist Peter Singer at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on the UConn Storrs campus. The lecture, to be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9, is free and open to the public.

Singer, the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University and a Laureate Professor at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at the University of Melbourne, is the author of several dozen books focused on bioethics, including Animal Liberation and The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter.

His lecture, “No Dilemma for Vegans: A Response to Pollan,” will address the issues raised in this year’s UConn Reads book selection, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan. The groundbreaking nonfiction book, chosen from among more than 200 nominations received from members of the University community, wrestles with the fundamental relationship between food and society, which, Pollan argues, has become disrupted and confused by technology.

“We’re thrilled that Peter Singer will join us to kick off UConn Reads,” says Anne D’Alleva, associate professor in the School of Fine Arts and chair of the UConn Reads Selection Committee. “His talk will set the stage for a vibrant year of debates around food, agriculture, the environment, and the sustainability of American ways of eating.”

In addition to UConn Reads, the event is co-sponsored by Dining Services, the Human Rights Institute, the Office of the Provost, the Office of Global Affairs, the Philosophy Department, and the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute.

UConn President Susan Herbst established the UConn Reads program in 2011 to bring the University community together for an annual common reading program. The inaugural book selection was Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, a nonfiction best-seller by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

For more information about the lecture, visit jorgensen.uconn.edu. The UConn Co-op will carry The Omnivore’s Dilemma at a discount. The book is available in eBook format as well. To follow the UConn Reads conversation on Twitter, use the hashtag #UConnReads.