Michael Allen Fox (born 7 May 1940) is an American/Canadian/Australian philosopher who was based at
Queen's University in
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between To ...
from 1966 until his retirement in 2005. He is the author of a number of books, including ''The Case for Animal Experimentation: An Evolutionary and Ethical Perspective'' (
University of California Press
The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by facult ...
, 1986)—the arguments and conclusion of which he later rejected—''Deep Vegetarianism'' (
Temple University Press
Temple University Press is a university press founded in 1969 that is part of Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). It is one of thirteen publishers to participate in the Knowledge Unlatched pilot, a global library consortium approach ...
, 1999), ''The Accessible Hegel'' (
Humanity Books, 2005), ''The Remarkable Existentialists'' (Humanity, 2009), ''Understanding Peace'' (
Routledge
Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law ...
, 2014) and ''Home: A Very Short Introduction'' (
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 2016).
Career
Fox studied for a Bachelor of Arts at
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
and then a Master of Arts and PhD at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...
. He began teaching in the Department of Philosophy at
Queen's University in 1966, and remained at the institution until his retirement to
Armidale, New South Wales
Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 24,504 as of June 2018. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region. It ...
, Australia, in 2005. He also took up
visiting positions at the
University of New England 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 an ...
. He was, in 1996, the
University of Tasmania
The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first prop ...
's James Martineau Memorial Lecturer. In addition to teaching at Queen's, he was the editor of ''
Queen's Quarterly
''Queen's Quarterly'' is a Canadian quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal of cultural studies that was established in 1893 by, among others, George Munro Grant, Sanford Fleming, and John Watson, all of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario ...
'' for a decade.
Fox's first
monograph was ''The Case for Animal Experimentation: An Evolutionary and Ethical Perspective'', which was published by the
University of California Press
The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by facult ...
in 1986. Fox had been unimpressed by
Peter Singer
Peter Albert David Singer (born 6 July 1946) is an Australian moral philosopher, currently the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. He specialises in applied ethics and approaches ethical issues from a Secularit ...
's call for animal liberation in the latter's
1975 book, and had dismissed Singer's arguments about the wrong of
speciesism
Speciesism () is a term used in philosophy regarding the treatment of individuals of different species. The term has several different definitions within the relevant literature. A common element of most definitions is that speciesism involves t ...
. Fox then published a series of papers challenging Singer's ideas, and advised several organisations on
animal experimentation
Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and ''in vivo'' testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments that seek to control the variables that affect the behavior or biological system under study. This ...
.
[Fox, Michael Allen (1987).]
Animal experimentation: A philosopher's changing views
. '' Between the Species'' 3 (2): 55–60, 75, 80, 82. In ''The Case for Animal Experimentation'', Fox argues that, in many cases, invasive animal testing is ethically justifiable, and that the ethical challenges to it can be overcome. He also explores a number of experiments that have received particular criticism from critics, including some addressed by Singer. Much of the book is given over to an explanation and exploration of the place of animal testing in science. Despite his defence of animal testing, Fox closes the book with a series of recommendations for how the system could be improved. The book was widely reviewed, and a paperback edition was released in 1988.
Less than a year after the book's initial publication, Fox found himself "in radical disagreement with some of its major theses". Fox published a paper in ''
Between the Species'' retracting his arguments and offering a case against animal experimentation, describing ''The Case for Animal Experimentation'' as "an embarrassment" to him. Quoting his own words on human superiority, he wrote that he "now look
at these arrogant remarks with dismay". He reported that critical reviews and the comments of a personal friend had been able to awaken him from "dogmatic slumber" about human duties to animals.
Years later, Fox published a paper in ''
Organization & Environment
''Organization & Environment'' (''O&E'') is a peer-reviewed academic journal that covers the fields of "sustainability management, policy and related social science.” The current editor-in-chief is Michael Russo (University of Oregon). Formerly i ...
'' entitled "The Case Against Animal Experimentation", representing the "reversal of the view
eonce defended". This paper analysed and supplemented
Joan Dunayer's critique of animal testing.
After retracting his arguments in ''The Case for Animal Experimentation'', Fox went on to author ''Deep Vegetarianism'' with
Temple University Press
Temple University Press is a university press founded in 1969 that is part of Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). It is one of thirteen publishers to participate in the Knowledge Unlatched pilot, a global library consortium approach ...
in 1999. In this book, Fox presents arguments in favour of vegetarianism, exploring its cultural and historical background and linking it with other progressive movements, especially
feminist movements.
In 2005, the same year as his retirement from Queen's, Fox published ''The Accessible Hegel'', an introduction to the thought of
G. W. F. Hegel
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends a ...
, with the Humanity Books imprint of
Prometheus Books. Since his retirement, he has published ''The Remarkable Existentialists'' (2009, Humanity Books), an introduction to the thought of several figures associated with
existentialism
Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and valu ...
, and ''Understanding Peace: A Comprehensive Introduction'' in 2013 with
Routledge
Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law ...
. In the latter book, Fox presents peace as a way of life and an ideal to be aimed for, asking the question of why humans engage in violent activity and what can be done to prevent violence. In 2016, his ''Home: A Very Short Introduction'' was published as a part of the
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
Very Short Introduction series.
[New book by Michael Fox]
. Queen's University. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
Select bibliography
In addition to his books, Fox has published over 20 book chapters, over 40
peer reviewed
Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer revie ...
journal articles, over 40 book reviews and a range of other popular, academic and technical works.
*Fox, Michael Allen, ed. (1980). ''Schopenhauer: His Philosophical Achievement''. Brighton, England: Harvester Press; Totowa, New Jersey: Barnes & Noble.
*Fox, Michael Allen, and Leo Groarke, eds. (1985). ''Nuclear War: Philosophical Perspectives''. New York: Peter Lang.
*Fox, Michael Allen (1986). ''The Case for Animal Experimentation: An Evolutionary and Ethical Perspective''. Berkeley, California: University of California Press.
*Fox, Michael Allen (1999). ''Deep Vegetarianism''. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Temple University Press.
*Fox, Michael Allen (2005). ''The Accessible Hegel''. Amherst, New York: Humanity Books.
*Fox, Michael Allen (2009). ''The Remarkable Existentialists''. Amherst, New York: Humanity Books.
*Fox, Michael Allen (2013). ''Understanding Peace''. London: Routledge.
*Fox, Michael Allen (2016). ''Home: A Very Short Introduction''. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Michael Allen
1940 births
Living people
American animal rights scholars
American ethicists
American vegetarianism activists
Canadian animal rights scholars
20th-century Canadian philosophers
21st-century Canadian philosophers
Canadian ethicists
20th-century Australian philosophers
21st-century Australian philosophers
Australian ethicists
Academic staff of Queen's University at Kingston
Cornell University alumni
University of Toronto alumni
Animal ethicists
Environmental ethicists