Commentators described the book in varied terms. Peter Singer, Barbara J. King, and Carl Safina wrote about its relevance to current debates, while Joshua C. Gellers and Mark Epstein discussed limitations in its tone and structure. Kirkus Reviews called it a "thoughtful unsettling of moral certainty", and New Scientist noted its focus on probability in moral reasoning.
Summary
The Moral Circle explores how humans determine which beings deserve moral consideration. The book begins with two contemporary examples: the Nonhuman Rights Project's unsuccessful legal case for the personhood of Happy, an elephant at the Bronx Zoo, and Google engineer Blake Lemoine's public claim that the LaMDA chatbot possessed consciousness. Sebo uses these cases to illustrate how moral and legal boundaries are increasingly tested by developments in animal ethics and artificial intelligence.
Early chapters examine philosophical debates about moral status, including theories that link it to sentience, agency, or rationality. Sebo argues that the capacity to experience harm or benefit is a sufficient basis for moral standing. Because it is often uncertain which beings meet that condition, he advocates a precautionary approach that favors inclusion rather than exclusion. This principle, he suggests, applies to many nonhuman animals, potential artificial intelligences, and future beings who could be affected by human actions.
Later chapters apply this reasoning to current practices. Sebo discusses research on pain perception in cephalopods and insects, such as octopuses and bees, and discusses the moral implications of industries like insect farming and aquaculture. He also examines large-scale issues including climate change, industrial agriculture, and the development of artificial intelligence, arguing that these systems may affect vast numbers of sentient or potentially sentient beings in both the present and the future.
The book challenges human exceptionalism as a universal moral rule, while allowing that partial concern for humans may sometimes be justified for pragmatic reasons such as proximity or social relationships. Sebo proposes a pluralistic ethical framework that combines elements of consequentialism, deontological ethics, and virtue ethics to guide decisions under uncertainty.
In its conclusion, the book calls for moral humility and a broadened sense of responsibility. Sebo contends that as human influence grows, the circle of moral concern should expand to include any beings that might experience well-being or suffering, whether biological or artificial.
Reception
The Moral Circle has been noted for its examination of moral responsibility beyond the human species. Bryan Walsh, editorial director of Vox, described the book as timely given advances in artificial intelligence. Peter Singer called it a valuable contribution to debates on expanding moral consideration. Barbara J. King noted Sebo's use of thought experiments that invite empathy toward a wider range of beings, and Carl Safina observed that its arguments question familiar ethical boundaries and encourage reflection.[1] The book was also listed among the Next Big Idea Club's January 2025 recommended titles, selected by Susan Cain, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink.[2]
Kirkus Reviews described the book as a "thoughtful unsettling of moral certainty" and summarized Sebo's argument for extending moral concern to animals, insects, plants, microbes, and artificial intelligence, challenging assumptions of human exceptionalism.[3]
In a review for Science, Joshua C. Gellers discussed The Moral Circle alongside Webb Keane's Animals, Robots, Gods. Gellers described Sebo's work as clear and careful in its treatment of agency, consciousness, and sentience as possible bases for moral status. He noted that Sebo's probabilistic framework differs from traditional moral intuitions and relational ethics, and questioned its reliance on contested philosophical ideas. Gellers also contrasted Sebo's systematic approach with Keane's more narrative style.[4]
Mark Epstein's review in the New York Times, published alongside a discussion of Keane's Animals, Robots, Gods, described Sebo's book as didactic and prescriptive in tone. Epstein wrote that it sometimes presents its ideas assertively and that the frequent use of italics for emphasis may make it feel more like a lecture than a dialogue. He nevertheless recognized the importance of the book's central questions about extending moral concern to nonhuman entities.[5]
In New Scientist, Michael Marshall described The Moral Circle as a clear and intellectually rigorous study of moral consideration. He praised Sebo's focus on probability rather than certainty when evaluating consciousness and found the thought experiments engaging. Marshall questioned whether the argument is timely given ongoing struggles for human rights, but concluded that its appeal to empathy remains valuable.[6]
Publication history
The book was published in hardcover and ebook formats by W. W. Norton & Company on January 28, 2025.[7][8] An audiobook version, narrated by Joel Richards and published by Tantor Media, was released on the same date.[9]
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