Richard Dean | |
---|---|
Born | 1727 |
Died | 8 February 1778 |
Occupation(s) | Minister, writer |
Richard Dean (1727 – 8 February 1778) was an English Anglican minister and early animal rights writer.
Dean was born in Kirkby Malham, Yorkshire. [1] In addition to being an Anglican minister, Dean was schoolmaster of Middleton grammar school. [2] He was first curate of Royton Chapel and curate of Middleton. [2] [1] He is best known for his two volume book, An Essay on the Future Life of Brutes, which argued for animal rights and a future existence ( afterlife) for animals from the Bible. [2] [3] [4] Dean argued that animal immortality followed logically and morally from animal sentience. He believed that animals had a sentient principle or soul and that and a loving God would not have created animals subject to pain if he had not intended to compensate their suffering with a future existence. [5]
Dean argued against the Cartesian view that animals were mere machines. [1] He argued for animal intelligence and asserted that animals live and suffer as humans do. He believed that this implied that man has a moral responsibility to animals. During his time not many writers held this view; however, Dean did acknowledge the work of John Hildrop. [1]
He died in Middleton on 8 February 1778. [1]