Henry John McCloskey (1925–2000) was an Australian

moral philosopher Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ma ...

and writer. McCloskey was Professor of Philosophy at La Trobe University in Melbourne. 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. 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. McCloskey was an atheist. He argued that the problem of evil provides conclusive evidence against theism. McCloskey was a noted critic of animal rights. McCloskey stated that animals cannot have moral rights but they can be given legal rights.

Selected publications

Articles
''Rights''
('' The Philosophical Quarterly'', 1965)
''The Right to Life''
(''

Mind The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...

'', 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

1925 births 2000 deaths Atheist philosophers Australian philosophers Critics of animal rights La Trobe University faculty Rationalists {{philosopher-stub