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Jonathan Leighton

Goodreads Author

Born

Canada

Website

https://jonathanleighton.org/

Twitter

jonleighton1

Genre

Philosophy, Science, Nonfiction

Member Since

November 2018

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Jonathan Leighton is an ethics strategist, social change advocate and public speaker. Since 2016 he is the Executive Director of the Organisation for the Prevention of Intense Suffering (OPIS), a Swiss think-and-do tank he founded to promote the application of compassionate ethics to societal decision-making. OPIS has been advocating for better access to effective medications for people in severe pain, including patients with terminal cancer or cluster headaches, and more generally, for governments to prioritise the prevention of intense suffering of all sentient beings. Originally from Montreal, Canada, Leighton trained as a research molecular biologist, obtaining an AB from Harvard University and a PhD from the University of Basel. He is ...more

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Jonathan Leighton’s books

Average rating: 4.39 · 28 ratings · 11 reviews · 3 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Tango of Ethics: Intuition, Rationality and the Prevention of Suffering 4.39 avg rating — 18 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Battle for Compassion: Ethics in an Apathetic Universe 4.38 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 2011 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Compassionate Governance: A Strategic Guide to Preventing and Alleviating Global Suffering really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Jonathan is Currently Reading

Jonathan Leighton is currently reading

The Road to Fascism: For a Critique of the Global Biosecurity State

by Simon Elmer

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Aug 25, 2025 08:50AM

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Jonathan’s Recent Updates

Jonathan Leighton is currently reading The Road to Fascism: For a Critique of the Global Biosecurity State by Simon Elmer	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 25, 2025 08:50AM · like
Jonathan Leighton made a comment on Aron Malmborg’s review of The Tango of Ethics: Intuition, Rationality and the Prevention of Suffering " I'm puzzled by these comments, which suggest the reviewer missed key sections of the book: -There's an entire section explicitly explaining the notion ...more "
Feb 25, 2024 11:24AM · see review

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Quotes by Jonathan Leighton (?)

“There is a great paradox in the duality of wanting to understand the big picture and simultaneously continue to enjoy playing the game.”
― Jonathan Leighton, The Battle for Compassion: Ethics in an Apathetic Universe

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“Others’ consciousness is the best kept secret in the universe, masquerading in the form of physical gestures and sounds.”
― Jonathan Leighton, The Battle for Compassion: Ethics in an Apathetic Universe

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“The use of animals as objects is so entrenched in human cultural practices around the world that to step aside and see things objectively requires almost a Copernican paradigm shift.”
― Jonathan Leighton, The Battle for Compassion: Ethics in an Apathetic Universe

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Jonathan’s Quotes

“Treating a sentient being’s suffering as less important because of its species classification is to devalue the one parameter of overriding ethical importance and to give importance to features that are simply irrelevant.”
― Jonathan Leighton, The Tango of Ethics: Intuition, Rationality and the Prevention of Suffering

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“Philosophical enquiry is often constricted by an implicit need for arguments that are consistent with life being intrinsically worthwhile—a conclusion that we obviously want to arrive at but, if we are to be honest, is not foregone.”
― Jonathan Leighton, The Battle for Compassion: Ethics in an Apathetic Universe

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