Peter Unger

Peter K. Unger (born April 25, 1942) is an American philosopher and professor in the Department of Philosophy at New York University. His primary areas of interest are metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and the philosophy of mind. Unger attended Swarthmore College, graduating with a B.A. in philosophy in 1962. He then pursued his studies at Oxford University, where he earned his doctorate in 1966, working under A. J. Ayer. A significant aspect of Unger's work involves a defense of profound philosophical skepticism. In his 1975 book, "Ignorance: A Case for Scepticism," he contends that no one truly knows anything and that no one is justified in believing anything. This line of thought is further developed in "Philosophical Relativity" (1984), where he argues that many philosophical questions lack definitive answers. In applied ethics, Unger's "Living High and Letting Die" (1996) is particularly notable. In this work, he asserts that affluent individuals in developed countries have a moral obligation to make substantial donations to charities that save lives. He extends this argument to suggest that people should prioritize these donations even over personal possessions, and if necessary, resort to begging, borrowing, or stealing to fulfill this moral duty. Regarding the philosophy of mind, Unger, in "The Mental Problems of the Many" (2002), advocates for substantial interactionist dualism, proposing that individuals are immaterial souls. This concept is further elaborated in his 2006 book, "All the Power in the World." In "Empty Ideas" (2014), Unger critically examines analytic philosophy, arguing that it has not yielded substantial results concerning concrete reality.