Loren E. Lomasky is an American

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

, formerly the Cory Professor of Political Philosophy, Policy and Law at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

Biography

Lomasky earned his PhD from the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

, and has previously taught at Bowling Green State University in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

in Duluth, and the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

. He has also been a contributing editor to ''

Reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, ...

'' magazine. Lomasky has written principally on

ethics 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 m ...

and

political philosophy Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, l ...

. His book ''Persons, Rights, and the Moral Community'' established his reputation as a leading advocate of a rights-based approach to moral and social issues. Besides these, his teaching interests include the

philosophy of religion Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known texts concerning ph ...

, medieval philosophy, and other periods in the history of philosophy. Lomasky has been the recipient of many awards including the 1991 Matchette Prize for his ''Persons, Rights, and the Moral Community''. Professor Lomasky has held research appointments sponsored by the NEH, the Center for the Study of Public Choice, the

and Bowling Green's Social Philosophy and Policy Center.

On meat eating

Lomasky is a noted opponent 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 ...

. He authored the paper "Is it wrong to eat animals?", in 2013 which defends

meat eating Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chick ...

and criticizes the arguments of moral

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism may ...

. Lomasky argues that the pleasures of consuming meat "afford human beings goods comparable qualitatively and quantitatively to those held forth by the arts. Lives of many people would be significantly impaired were they to forgo carnivorous consumption."

Selected publications

* "When Hard Heads Collide: A Philosopher Encounters Public Choice," ''The American Journal of Economics and Sociology'', 63 (2004). * "Liberty and Welfare Goods: Reflection on Clashing Liberalisms," ''Journal of Ethics'' 4 (2000). * "Aid Without Egalitarianism: Assisting Indigent Defendants," in William C. Heffernan & John Kleinig (eds.), ''From Social Justice to Criminal Justice'', Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, . * ''Democracy and Decision: The Pure Theory of Electoral Preference'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993, (with

Geoffrey Brennan Geoffrey Brennan (September 15, 1944–July 29, 2022) was an Australian philosopher. He was professor of philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, professor of political science at Duke University, and faculty member in the ...

). * ''Politics and Process: New Essays in Democratic Thought'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1989, (co-editor, with Geoffrey Brennan). * ''Persons, Rights, and the Moral Community'', Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987, .

References

External links

Lomaskys's writings at the Independent Review

Lomasky's writings
at the Competitive Enterprise Institute site.
Lomasky's writings at the Foundation for Economic Education

"Is Social Security Politically Untouchable?"
''

The Cato Journal The ''Cato Journal'' is a triannual peer-reviewed academic journal which covers public policy from an Austro- libertarian point of view. It was established in 1981 and is published by the Cato Institute. It publishes articles discussing politics ...

'', 5 (Spring/Summer 1985). {{DEFAULTSORT:Lomasky, Loren Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American philosophers American libertarians American political philosophers Cato Institute people Critics of animal rights Critics of vegetarianism Libertarian theorists Living people University of Connecticut alumni University of Virginia faculty

Biography

On meat eating

Selected publications

See also

References

External links