Қалай өмір сүру керек?: Өзімшілдік дәуіріндегі этика

1993 book by Peter Singer

How Are We to Live? : Ethics in an Age of Self Interest is a 1993 book about applied ethics by moral philosopher Peter Singer. Singer argues that doing the right thing involves attending to the sufferings and preferences of other sentient beings.

Singer presents a history of ethical thought, and attempts to refute the popular idea that humans are genetically driven to be selfish. He explains how this idea has been attributed to Thomas Hobbes and Adam Smith, and how politicians like Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan tried to persuade people that self interest was good. Singer takes a contrary view, and argues that self interest is a time bomb for society. Singer attempts to show how the key for a satisfactory life resides on its purpose and how crucial for that purpose a commitment to an ethical life is. This connects with the argument that the pursuit of self interest is self defeating. Critics have suggested Singer misrepresents the role of self interest in some religions, such as the prospect of rewards in heaven. Singer has said, "I am not really satisfied with the book". He has expressed concerns that his argument that an ethical life makes for a fulfilling life "contains an element of wishful thinking", as he does not always do everything that he believes to be morally right and so might have underestimated how demanding morality can be, set against other things that might be fulfilling in life. The German translation, by Hermann Vetter, was published by Harald Fischer Verlag in 1996 as Wie sollen wir leben? : Ethik in einer egoistischen Zeit. A paperback was produced by Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag in 1999 and went through several reprints, most recently in 2004.