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

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

and

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

Biography

Leahy was born in

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

."Michael Leahy"
The Times. Retrieved 27 November 2021. He was educated Salesian College in Battersea and

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

. After he graduated he studied at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

and

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

. He was as assistant lecturer in philosophy at

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

during 1965–1968 and a lecturer in philosophy at the

University of Kent The University of Kent (formerly the University of Kent at Canterbury, abbreviated as UKC) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom. The university was granted its roya ...

where he became a senior lecturer in 1976. He was the university’s admissions officer from 1992–1999. He married Rosey Devitt in 1968, they had two children. Leahy suffered from

dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

and was cared for by his wife."Philosopher insisted his dog was just a dog"
''The Sydney Morning Herald''. Retrieved 27 November 2021.

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. He took influence from

Ludwig Wittgenstein Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. From 1929 to 1947, Witt ...

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. He firmly rejected the idea that non-human animals deserve equal moral consideration. Leahy's book ''Against Liberation'', first published in 1991 and republished in 1993 was one of the first lengthy books to attack animal rights. The book was subjected to a fierce hate campaign from animal rights activists. 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." 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.

Selected publications

*''Exploring Reality'' (with Dan Cohn-Sherbok and Michael Irwin, 1987) *''Against Liberation: Putting Animals in Perspective'' (1991, 1993)"Against Liberation"
Taylor & Francis Group. Retrieved 27 November 2021. *''The Liberation Debate'' (with Dan Cohn-Sherbok, 1996)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leahy, Michael P. T. 1934 births 2007 deaths 20th-century English philosophers Academics of Durham University Academics of the University of Kent Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Critics of animal rights