H. J. McCloskey

Henry John McCloskey (1925–2000) was an Australian moral philosopher and writer. McCloskey was Professor of Philosophy at La Trobe University in Melbourne.^[1] After graduating from the University of Melbourne, he had appointments at the University of Western Australia and the University of Melbourne before taking up a chair at La Trobe. He was president of the Australasian Association of Philosophy in 1978.^[1]

McCloskey is known for his sheriff scenario, a thought experiment he used to criticize "extreme" utilitarianism, or what later came to be known as act utilitarianism. He was married to Mary Agnes McCloskey.^[2] McCloskey was an atheist. He argued that the problem of evil provides conclusive evidence against theism. McCloskey was a noted critic of animal rights.^[3][4] McCloskey stated that animals cannot have moral rights but they can be given legal rights.^[5]

Articles

• Rights (The Philosophical Quarterly, 1965)
• The Right to Life (Mind, 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)

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