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 La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria an ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. After graduating from the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, he had appointments at the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

and the University of Melbourne before taking up a chair at La Trobe. He was president of the

Australasian Association of Philosophy The Australasian Association of Philosophy (AAP) is the peak body for philosophy in Australasia. The chief purpose of the AAP is to promote philosophy in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. Among the means that it follows to achieve this end, ...

in 1978. McCloskey is known for his sheriff scenario, a thought experiment he used to criticize "extreme"

utilitarianism In ethical philosophy, utilitarianism is a family of normative ethical theories that prescribe actions that maximize happiness and well-being for all affected individuals. Although different varieties of utilitarianism admit different charact ...

, or what later came to be known as

act utilitarianism Act utilitarianism is a utilitarian theory of ethics that states that a person's act is morally right if and only if it produces the best possible results in that specific situation. Classical utilitarians, including Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart M ...

. He was married to Mary Agnes McCloskey. McCloskey was an atheist. He argued that the

problem of evil The problem of evil is the question of how to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient God.The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,The Problem of Evil, Michael TooleyThe Internet Encyclope ...

provides conclusive evidence against

theism Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of a supreme being or deities. In common parlance, or when contrasted with ''deism'', the term often describes the classical conception of God that is found in monotheism (also referred to ...

. McCloskey was a noted critic of

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

. McCloskey stated that animals cannot have moral rights but they can be given legal rights.

Selected publications

Articles
''Rights''
(''

The Philosophical Quarterly ''The Philosophical Quarterly'' is a quarterly academic journal of philosophy established in 1950 and published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Scots Philosophical Club and the University of St Andrews. Since 2014 its publisher is Oxford Acade ...

'', 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