The Moral Circle: Who Matters, What Matters, and Why

by Jeff Sebo

Overview

“A thoroughly digestible and wonderfully approachable example of popular philosophy at its very best.” —Joshua C. Gellers, Science

A philosopher calls for a revolution in ethics, suggesting we expand our “moral circle” to include insects, AI systems, and even microbes.

Today, human exceptionalism is the norm. Despite occasional nods to animal welfare, we prioritize humanity, often neglecting the welfare of a vast number of beings. As a result, we use hundreds of billions of vertebrates and trillions of invertebrates every year for a variety of purposes, often unnecessarily. We also plan to use animals, AI systems, and other nonhumans at even higher levels in the future. Yet as the dominant species, humanity has a responsibility to ask: Which nonhumans matter, how much do they matter, and what do we owe them in a world reshaped by human activity and technology?

In The Moral Circle, philosopher Jeff Sebo challenges us to include all potentially significant beings in our moral community, with transformative implications for our lives and societies

This book explores provocative case studies such as lawsuits over captive elephants and debates over factory-farmed insects, and compels us to consider future ethical quandaries, such as whether to send microbes to new planets, and whether to create virtual worlds filled with digital minds. Taking an expansive view of human responsibility, Sebo argues that building a positive future requires the shedding of human exceptionalism and radically rethinking our place in the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781324123569
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	01/06/2026
Series:	A Norton Short
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Jeff Sebo is associate professor of environmental studies; affiliated professor of bioethics, medical ethics, philosophy, and law; director of the Center for Environmental and Animal Protection; and director of the Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy at New York University.

Editorial Reviews

"[A] workout for your brain, in the best sense: Sebo writes with great clarity, so you can follow the knottiest problems."

New Scientist - Michael Marshall

"In The Moral Circle, Jeff Sebo defends, with engaging examples and plausible arguments, a disturbing conclusion: that the expansion of the moral circle beyond our own species, for which I have argued, does not go nearly far enough. I expect this book to trigger an important debate."

Peter Singer

"In The Moral Circle Jeff Sebo shows us how complicated—and disconcerting—things get when we consider what that moral circle would include—and whether we can really justify leaving any living thing outside the boundaries of our moral concern. Elephants, pretty easy. Bugs? Plants? Plankton? You will disagree with parts of this book, but your own disagreement will leave you feeling uncomfortable, because the moral arguments are indeed strong; they challenge the self-interests that have shaped the ways we have treated—and mistreated—other beings."

Carl Safina

"The Moral Circle is a thoroughly digestible and wonderfully approachable example of popular philosophy at its very best, as curious as it is careful."

Science Magazine

"Does what happen to an insect, a plant, or a robot, matter to them? Compelling thought experiments make The Moral Circle a fascinating read. Jeff Sebo’s conclusion that we owe a lot to a vast number and wide range of beings will surely expand readers’ empathy and compassion."

Barbara J. King

"As Al grows ever more complex… Sebo's guidance will become all the more valuable."

Vox, Future Perfect 50 - Bryan Walsh

2024-10-26
Rethinking responsibility and compassion.

Philosopher Sebo argues for an expansion of moral thinking to include animals, insects, plants, microbes, and even artificial intelligence. Rejecting human exceptionalism—the idea that human life has more value than nonhuman life—Sebo grapples with the question of which beings matter and what humans might owe the nonhuman ones. Beings, Sebo asserts, are not only humans who exist currently, but those who may exist in the future, including silicon-based beings who share the human community. “What,” he asks, “does it mean for a being to matter for their own sake?” Sebo begins with two perplexing cases that raise critical issues: Does an elephant, such as one kept in a zoo, have a right to liberty? Does a bot, such as one that claims to feel emotions, have the rights of a person? His responses tease out complex ethical debates. To illustrate his explanation of moral theories such as harm reduction theory, rights theory, virtue ethics, and care ethics, Sebo presents examples of moral conundrums: a businessman considering how to dispose of toxic waste; the morality of the insect-farming industry; and a young woman who unexpectedly discovers that one of her roommates is a Neanderthal and the other, a bot. In the latter case, how might the woman’s relationship with them change because of these revelations? Sebo sees a future in which silicon-based beings evolve “with the capacity for more complex and varied motivations than humans and nonhuman animals.” Will that capacity give them value in humans’ moral circle? The ethics of the Anthropocene, Sebo asserts, requires that we increase the probability that our actions will help others and decrease the probability that our actions will harm others: We must think cosmically, then globally, and then act locally.

A thoughtful unsettling of moral certainty.

Kirkus Reviews