Controversial philosopher and professor of bioethics Peter Singer has been working in the field of 'practical ethics' for 30 years - "which means that when I began there was no such field". He was a passionate founder of the modern animal rights movement and has written on animal rights, abortion, euthanasia and the ethical implications of the global rift between rich and poor.

His most recent book is Writings on an Ethical Life, a collection of his most provocative writings.

Buy Writings on Ethical Life at Amazon.co.uk

1. The Descent of Man by Charles Darwin

Together with Darwin's The Origin of Species - and a better read - this book ushered in the modern understanding of what we are, and our relationship to other animals.

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

If this is not the best novel ever written, I don't know what surpasses it for fine observation of manners, character and passions, all told with the most delightfully delicate sense of humour.



3. The Methods of Ethics by Henry Sidgwick

After 100 years, this remains the most careful, thorough and accurate study of ethics I know.



4. On Liberty by John Stuart Mill

Mill's defence of individual liberty and freedom of expression is a model of political argument, and a pleasure to read.

5. Reasons and Persons by Derek Parfit

Parfit's penetrating thought and spare prose make this one of the most exciting, if challenging, works by a contemporary philosopher.

6. The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

A highly readable theory about how we came to be as we are. Dawkins is always stimulating and full of ideas, even if he needs to be read in a questioning frame of mind.

7. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

Probably the most important book on the environment ever written, and once you read it, it is easy to see why.



8. In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall

The classic study of our closest relative, the chimpanzee.



9. Humanity by Jonathan Glover

A philosopher's look at the moral history of the 20th century, full of remarkable information and wise reflections.

10. Final Exit by Derek Humphrey

Unlike all the other books on this list, this is one that I hope you'll never want to read. But if the day comes when you need to be in control of how your life ends, and you can't find a doctor who will help, this is the book to get.