西方哲學家與東方佛教徒的精彩對談
——《佛教徒與倫理學家》學界及媒體好評推薦1
袁筱晴譯
“A remarkable and historical meeting of minds between one of the greatest philosophers of our times and a leading proponent of Buddhist ethics, grounded on utilitarianism and guided by compassion and insight, which aims at preventing and relieving all kinds of suffering, whatever they might be, and doing as much good as possible to all sentient beings without discrimination.” —Matthieu Ricard, author of Altruism and A Plea for Animals
一位當代頂尖的哲學家及傑出的佛教倫理學領袖，展開這場精彩並具歷史性的心靈交會。雙方的對談以利他主義為基礎，由智慧與洞見為引導，其重點在預防及解除各式各樣的痛苦，同時提倡由眾生平等的出發點盡力行善。
——馬修‧李卡德（Matthieu Ricard）《利他主義：為動物請願》作者
“Few things are more enlightening than good dialogue, and this engrossing conversation between a Western philosopher and an Asian Buddhist is a case in point. Their probing exploration of each other’s worldviews illuminates key concepts in the Buddhist and utilitarian traditions and reveals an underlying unity; these two schools of thought, though quite different in cultural ancestry, exhibit much commonality of purpose and spirit as they address some of life’s most important and challenging questions.”
—Robert Wright, author of Why Buddhism Is True
世界上幾乎沒幾件事比一場精彩的對談更發人深省，本書就是個活生生的例子。一位西方哲學家與一位東方佛教徒共同探討並挑戰彼此的世界觀，藉由對談，他們發現原來佛教基本觀念與利他主義傳統猶如一體兩面。兩人針對這些關乎生命的重要議題展開討論，過程中，他們逐漸明白，縱然兩個學派思想的文化淵源迥異，其目標與精神卻如此相似。
——羅伯‧賴特（Robert Wright）《令人神往的靜坐開悟》作者
“The Buddhist and the Ethicist is a fascinating exchange between two brilliant and wide-ranging thinkers who were originally brought together because of their shared interests in animal welfare. Their conversations cover a staggering array of topics, and I truly enjoyed seeing what came out of their extremely active brains and hearts and how much they got mine going in many different directions. I guarantee you, too, will rethink some views you have on different ethical questions and will be exposed to many situations and dilemmas about which you’ve rarely or never thought. I know I’ll be returning to this valuable collection time and time again.”
—Marc Bekoff, University of Colorado, author of The Animals’ Agenda: Freedom, Compassion, and Coexistence in the Human Age (with Jessica Pierce) and A Dog’s World: Imagining the Lives of Dogs in a World Without Humans (with Jessica Pierce)
閱讀《佛教徒與倫理學家》，讓我讚嘆兩位傑出思想家之間激盪出的火花，他們關注的議題層面甚廣，最初因為雙方對動物福祉的關懷，而結下對談之緣。兩人交流的主題相當豐富，我很享受閱讀這兩顆思緒敏捷的腦袋與心互動的過程，這場對談激發我在這些議題上思考方向更多元。我向您保證，讀完此書，您不但會重新審視自己在不同道德議題上的看法，也會探問一些自己未曾思考或遇過的情境與兩難議題。我對這本書愛不釋手，必定會重複翻閱。
——馬克‧貝考夫（Marc Bekoff）科羅拉多州大學教授，與潔西卡‧皮爾斯合著《動物的議題：自由、慈悲及與人類共存》及《狗的世界：如果世界上沒有人，狗會過怎樣的生活？》二書
“This gem of a book invites readers to listen in as two brilliant contemporary moral philosophers talk about what it means to be a good person and live an ethical life. The Buddhist and the Ethicist offers us a living encounter between Western and Eastern moral traditions. We have the honor of sitting in as Peter Singer, one of the West’s most innovative and influential utilitarian philosophers, and Shih Chao-Hwei, a prominent Buddhist scholar, monastic, and activist, talk some of the most contentious and significant moral issues of our time, including human-animal relations, equality, sexuality, and effective altruism. Singer and Chao-Hwei show us how to have constructive, respectful dialogue about values—a skill more vitally important now than ever before. They remind us that it is possible to begin from seemingly conflicting points of view and, through open-minded conversation, to find and expand common ground.”
—Jessica Pierce, author of Who’s a Good Dog? And How to Be a Better Human
這本珍貴的書籍邀請讀者聆聽兩位優秀的當代倫理學者暢談「良善之人」的定義，以及符合道德倫理的生活之道。《佛教徒與倫理學家》正是東、西方道德傳統鮮活表述的相遇。我們有幸能聽聞當代最具新意與影響力的效益主義哲學家彼得‧辛格與知名佛教學者、法師及社運人士釋昭慧討論當今某些最具爭議性的重要倫理議題，其中包括人與動物的關係、平等、情慾、及效益利他主義。
辛格與昭慧示範了討論價值觀時，如何以具建設性及相互尊重的方式展開對話，面對當前的世道，這樣的能力至關重要。他們的交流提醒我們，對話開始時，彼此的觀點可能看似衝突，但是只要保持開放的態度，持續交流，必能找到交集，甚至拓展彼此的眼界。
——潔西卡‧皮爾斯（Jessica Pierce），著有《怎樣才算乖狗狗？如何做個好人類》
“This timely and stimulating dialogue between Professor Peter Singer and Venerable Chao-Hwei Shih takes place at the intersection between altruism and engaged Buddhism. Their many conversations through the intervening years have examined diverse and relevant social issues during the twenty-first century. Their incisive examination of ethical considerations for all life-forms, while ages old, are brought together in this book through candid discussions about ending life and killing from in utero, to euthanasia, suicide, and killing during wartime. At the same time, their dialogue integrates the crosscutting themes of women and equality, sexuality, animal rights, and more. I invite you to become a part of their dialogue through which you can revisit these topics that transcend cultures and countries.”
—Sulak Sivaraksa, author, activist, and cofounder of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists
辛格教授與昭慧法師的對談不僅與當今的世界息息相關，更引人深思，兩人在利他主義與入世佛教的交會處相遇。幾年來，雙方的對話檢視了21世紀重要及多元的社會議題。他們對於所有生命形態應給予的道德考量進行清晰而仔細的檢視，雖然大眾對這些話題並不陌生，但是透過此書，您可一次讀到兩位作者詳實討論他們對終結生命、扼殺胚胎、安樂死、自殺及戰爭中的殺戮的看法。同時，書中的話題更囊括婦女與平等、情慾、動物權等不同議題。我想邀您參與這些對話，並藉此重新認識這些跨文化與跨國界的深刻主題。
——蕭素樂長老，作家、社運人士暨國際佛教入世網絡之共同創辦人
“An enlightening exploration of ethics, altruism, and social justice through the engaging dialogue between a prominent philosopher and a great scholar of Buddhism. A must-read for those seeking to expand their understanding of these traditions and the pressing issues of our time.”
—Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, student activist, author, and engaged Buddhist
透過著名的哲學家與傑出的佛教學者之間生動的對話，我們見證了一場關於倫理、利他主義及社會正義的探索，其過程十分啟發人心。若您希望增進自己對這些哲學傳統的理解，並了解當代最重要的議題，此書非讀不可。
——聶提威‧丘提法斐瑟，社運學生、作家與入世佛教徒
“A wonderful book that does what philosophy and religious teachings are supposed to do: challenge us to think better, to live better, and to be better.”
—Ryan Holiday, podcast host and author of The Daily Stoic
這本書不但寫得好，更善盡哲學與宗教思想之本事，書中內容啟發我們想得更透澈、過得更好，並做個更好的人。
——萊恩‧霍利得「每天讀點斯多噶」播客主持人與作者
“Their dialogues unfold in rigorous detail and probe rich and trenchant ethical questions... Plenty of insight in these thought-provoking and challenging investigations.”
—Publishers Weekly
兩人的對話以綿密的細節展開，探究豐富及深刻的倫理議題……，透過這場發人深省與極具挑戰的探討過程，我們得以認識兩位作者精闢的見解。
——《出版者周刊》
“In this fascinating book, Singer and Chao-Hwei explore dynamic topics, including animal welfare, capital punishment, gender equality, and the foundations of both Buddhism and ethics.”
—Tricycle
此書令人手不釋卷，辛格與昭慧探討了一些與時俱進的主題，包括動物福祉、死刑、性別平等與佛教和倫理學的基礎。
——美國佛教雜誌《三輪車》
1以上書評出自「香巴拉出版社推薦文」，網址：https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/729744/the-buddhist-and-the-ethicist-by-peter-singer-and-shih-chao-hwei/。
