Michael P. T. Leahy

Michael Paul Tutton Leahy (30 December 1934 – 7 May 2007) was an English conservative philosopher and opponent of animal rights and vegetarianism.

Michael P. T. Leahy
Born30 December 1934
Westminster
Died7 May 2007

Biography

Leahy was born in Westminster.[1] He was educated Salesian College in Battersea and Trinity College, Dublin. After he graduated he studied at Cornell University and Penn State University. He was as assistant lecturer in philosophy at Durham University during 1965–1968 and a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Kent where he became a senior lecturer in 1976.[1] He was the university’s admissions officer from 1992–1999.[1]

He married Rosey Devitt in 1968, they had two children. Leahy suffered from dementia and was cared for by his wife.[2]

Criticism of animal rights

Leahy held the view that animals do not have moral rights and that humans tend to anthropomorphise animals by giving them cognitive and emotional capacities which they do not possess.[2] He took influence from Ludwig Wittgenstein and argued that animals are "primitive beings" that lack beliefs and language, therefore they cannot have desires or interests. He stated that because animals lack language, they are not self-conscious and cannot be aware of what is in their interests, thus the idea of animal rights should be dismissed.[3] He firmly rejected the idea that non-human animals deserve equal moral consideration.[4]

Leahy's book Against Liberation, first published in 1991 and republished in 1993 was one of the first lengthy books to attack animal rights.[1][5][6] The book was subjected to a fierce hate campaign from animal rights activists.[7] Leahy has been described as "one of a group of right-wing philosophers who challenged the left-liberal consensus, and his opposition to animal rights inevitably excited the anger of campaigners."[2] Wary of threats from animal rights activists, he was known to have checked his car and mail for bombs. On one occasion he called the bomb disposal unit about a suspicious package, but it turned out to be a pair of glasses from his optician.[1]

Selected publications
  • Exploring Reality (with Dan Cohn-Sherbok and Michael Irwin, 1987)
  • Against Liberation: Putting Animals in Perspective (1991, 1993)[5][8]
  • The Liberation Debate (with Dan Cohn-Sherbok, 1996)

References
  1. "Michael Leahy". The Times. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  2. "Philosopher insisted his dog was just a dog". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  3. Taylor, Angus. (2003). Animals and Ethics: An Overview of the Philosophical Debate. Broadview Press. p. 59. ISBN 978-1551115696
  4. Wallace, Gerry (1992). "Reviewed Works: Against Liberation: putting animals in perspective by Michael P. T. Leahy; Valuing Life by John Kleinig; The Ethics of Environmental Concern (2nd edition) by Robin Attfield". Journal of Applied Philosophy. 9 (2): 253–255.
  5. Midgley, Mary (1992). "Reviewed Work: Against Liberation: Putting Animals in Perspective by Michael P.T. Leahy". Environmental Values. 1 (1): 81–83. JSTOR 30301258.
  6. Frey, R. G. (1993). "Reviewed Work: Against Liberation: Putting Animals in Perspective by Michael P. T. Leahy". Ethics. 103 (4): 834–835. doi:10.1086/293565. JSTOR 2381650.
  7. Ojeda, Auriana. (2004). The Rights of Animals. Greenhaven Press. p. 42. ISBN 9780737718171
  8. "Against Liberation". Taylor & Francis Group. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
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