Singer fights against cruelty and inhumanity in general, but most specifically in relation to animals, who are unable to fight for themselves. His compassion for their condition has raised awareness in thousands, perhaps even millions, calling on everyone to be mindful of the suffering we inflict on our fellow creatures and to stand up and fight against it. Though Wollstonecraft and Nussbaum are both vocal and eloquent in conveying their philosophies to the world, Singer is perhaps the most active of the three in taking his fight to the streets. He also seems to inspire others to do the same, even if it is to rise up in protest against what they see as his outrageous views. I cannot say that I am giving up eating meat, or that I agree with him on all counts, but I do admire his courage, his intellect and his conviction in voicing his opinions even in the face of extreme and potentially violent opposition.

Still, Singer is the one of the three that I feel I have the least connection to or alignment with. Some of his views I find a little hard to swallow, others I simply am not ready to embrace (I tried vegetarianism for a while and that didn’t work out so well). Wollstonecraft and Nussbaum both inspire me as women, as writers and as philosophers. I firmly believe in education as a path for true equality, not only between the genders, but between nationalities, races and social classes as well. Nussbaum’s broad focus on justice and on the right of all to achieve certain “capabilities” is the most compelling framework for achieving equality that I have come across. All three demonstrate the qualities of conscience, integrity, compassion and courage and all three have or are contributing significantly to the evolution of peace on our planet. I can only hope that I can find some channel through which to make a similarly significant contribution, even if on a smaller scale.