Linzey, Andrew

(b. 1952)

   Theologian.

   Linzey was born in Oxford, England, and was educated at the University of London. An ordained priest of the Church of England, he is known for his championing of the rights of animals. In his Christianity and the Rights of Animals, he argued that ‘Spirit-filled, breathing creatures, composed of flesh and blood, are subjects of inherent value to God’ and ‘where we speak of animal rights, we conceptualize what is objectively owed to animals as a matter of justice by virtue of their Creator’s right’. Going on from this, in his later work, he has maintained that humanity should do more than respect the rights of animals; given animal vulnerability, they should be morally generous. Linzey is standing against the entrenched Christian humano-centric attitude towards animals (as exemplified by thomas aquinas who argued that animals are created solely for the use of man). None the less, there is no doubt that his view is gaining ground within the Churches.

   Andrew Linzey, Animal Theology (1984);

   T. Regan, The Case for Animal Rights (1988);

   K. Thomas, Man and the Natural World: A History of Modern Sensibility (1983).