Henry John McCloskey (1925–2000) was an Australian moral philosopher and writer. McCloskey was Professor of Philosophy at La Trobe University in Melbourne.[1] After graduating from the University of Melbourne, he had appointments at the University of Western Australia and the University of Melbourne before taking up a chair at La Trobe. He was president of the Australasian Association of Philosophy in 1978.[1]
H. J. McCloskey | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1925 |
| Died | 2000 |
| Education | University of Melbourne |
| Occupation | Philosopher |
McCloskey is known for his sheriff scenario, a thought experiment he used to criticize "extreme" utilitarianism, or what later came to be known as act utilitarianism. He was married to Mary Agnes McCloskey.[2] McCloskey was an atheist. He argued that the problem of evil provides conclusive evidence against theism. McCloskey was a noted critic of animal rights.[3][4] McCloskey stated that animals cannot have moral rights but they can be given legal rights.[5]
Selected publications edit
Articles
- Rights (The Philosophical Quarterly, 1965)
- The Right to Life (Mind, 1975)
- Moral Rights and Animals (Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy, 1979)
Books
- Morality Without Religion (1961)
- The Problem of Liberalism (1965)
- Utilitarian and Retributive Punishment (1967)
- Meta-ethics and Normative Ethics (1969)
- The Political Philosophy of Liberalism (1973)
- John Stuart Mill: A Critical Study (1971)
- God and Evil (1974)
- Ecological Ethics and Politics (1983)
References edit
- ^ a b "Professor John McCloskey". Rationalist Society of Australia. Rationalist Society of Australia. 2 June 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ "Mary Agnes McCloskey". Legacy.com. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Regan, Tom (1976). "McCloskey on Why Animals Cannot Have Rights". The Philosophical Quarterly. 26 (104): 251–257. doi:10.2307/2219017. JSTOR 2219017.
- ^ Burch, Robert W. (1977). "Animals, Rights, and Claims". The Southwestern Journal of Philosophy. 8 (2): 53–59. doi:10.5840/swjphil19778225. JSTOR 43155153.
- ^ Nelson, John O. (1987). "Brute Animals and Legal Rights". Philosophy. 62 (240): 171–177. doi:10.1017/S0031819100064019. JSTOR 3750794. S2CID 159507180.
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