Lewis Gompertz | |
|---|---|
 Portrait fromFragments in Defence of Animals (1852) | |
| Born | 1783/4 London, England |
| Died | (aged 77) Kennington, London, England |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | c. 1814–1852 |
| Known for | Advocacy for themoral consideration of animals and earlyveganism |
| Notable work | Moral Inquiries on the Situation of Man and of Brutes (1824) |
| Spouse | |
| Relatives |
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| Family | Gompertz family |
Lewis Gompertz (1783/4 – 2 December 1861) was an English philosopher, writer, inventor, and social reformer, associated with earlyanimal protection campaigning in Britain. Born into an affluent Jewish family of London diamond merchants, he argued that killing or using animals for human purposes was morally wrong, and adopted a personal practice of avoiding animal products and other goods derived from animals, described by later writers as an early form ofveganism. A founding member of theSociety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (later the RSPCA), he served as honorary secretary from 1828 and resigned in 1833 after the organisation adopted an explicitly Christian constitution. He then co-founded theAnimals' Friend Society withT. Forster, ran it with his wife Ann, and edited its periodicalAnimals' Friend, or, The Progress of Humanity from 1833 to 1841. Gompertz set out his views inMoral Inquiries on the Situation of Man and of Brutes (1824), which also discussed capitalism, women's oppression, andOwenite social reform, and later publishedFragments in Defence of Animals, and Essays on Morals, Soul, and Future State (1852). He also devised mechanical inventions, including designs intended to reduce reliance on animal labour for transport.
Lewis Gompertz was born in 1783 or 1784 to a large, affluent Jewish family of London diamond merchants.[1][2] The family descended from theAshkenazi Gomperz line ofEmmerich, near theGermany–Netherlands border, and was active in theHambro Synagogue inHoxton, East London.[1]
Gompertz was the youngest of fifteen children of Solomon Barent Gompertz (1729–c. 1807), a merchant based inWalthamstow andVauxhall, and the fifth son from his second marriage, to Leah Cohen (c. 1747–1809).[1] He was the younger brother of the mathematician and actuaryBenjamin Gompertz, and the poetIsaac Gompertz.[3]
Due to their Jewish faith, Gompertz and his siblings were barred from attending university, and instead received an informal education that emphasised critical thinking and problem-solving.[2]
Gompertz married Ann Hollaman atSt Leonard's, Shoreditch on 12 December 1809.[4]
Gompertz devoted his life to opposinganimal suffering, arguing that it was morally wrong to kill animals or to use them in ways that did not benefit the animals themselves. A strictvegan before the term was coined, he avoided all animal products, including milk and eggs, and refused to travel by horse-drawn coach because of the exploitation of horses.[1] He also avoided wearing leather and silk, and opposed hunting and animal experimentation.[5]
His philosophical views were set out in his 1824 treatise,Moral Inquiries on the Situation of Man and of Brutes, which uses dialogues, moral axioms, and practical proposals on improving the treatment of animals. The book alsocriticised capitalism, condemned theoppression of women, and supportedOwenite cooperation and social reform.[1]
[C]ruelty is cruelty under whatever colouring it may appear; and whether exercised on a man or on a fly, cruelty is still cruelty. It matters not whether the victim be furnished with two legs or with four, with wings, with fins, or with arms; where there is sensation, there is subject for cruelty, and in proportion to the degree of sensation will its action operate.
— Moral Inquiries on the Situation of Man and of Brutes, pp. 149–150
In 1852, he publishedFragments in Defence of Animals, and Essays on Morals, Soul, and Future State, a second volume that collected later writings and developed arguments fromMoral Inquiries.[6]
Gompertz was a founding member of theSociety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and attended its inaugural meeting in 1824.[2] During a period of financial difficulty for the society, he took on several responsibilities, serving as honorary secretary from 1828, acting asde facto treasurer, and contributing personal funds. In 1832, the SPCA awarded him a silver medal for his service.[1]
Gompertz's position within the SPCA became contentious amid internal disputes, including rivalry with the Association for the Promotion of Rational Humanity to the Animal Creation. Claims that he held Pythagorean views and was hostile to Christianity contributed to tensions. In 1833, after the SPCA amended its constitution to adopt explicitly Christian principles, Gompertz resigned, saying that the change effectively excluded him on religious grounds.[1]
After leaving the SPCA, Gompertz co-founded theAnimals' Friend Society withT. Forster, and managed it with his wife Ann until 1846. The society drew support fromevangelicals andQuakers, and for a period was more active and influential than the SPCA. Gompertz edited its journal,Animals' Friend, or, The Progress of Humanity, from 1833 to 1841. He withdrew from public work in 1846 because of ill health, and his wife's death in 1847 further affected him. Although the society's committee continued to meet until 1848, it then declined.[1]
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Gompertz had an interest in mechanical engineering.[1] According toPeter Singer, his inventions, though sometimes impractical, were intended to reduce animal suffering.[7]: 14–15 His devices were displayed at his home and later at theAdelaide Gallery. He filed one patent, for carriages (no. 3804 of 1814), and around 1839 issued anIndex to 38 Inventions. His designs included an expanding chuck, alternatives togear wheels, and a modifiedvelocipede intended to avoid the use of animals for transport. His work was discussed in periodicals including theMechanics Journal andAnimals' Friend, and was later collected inMechanical Inventions and Suggestions on Land and Water Locomotion (1851), which went through at least two editions. In the preface, Gompertz stated that many of the devices had been publicly exhibited, and that he had been awarded a medal byPrince Albert for some of them.[2]
Gompertz died ofbronchitis on 2 December 1861, aged 77, at his home inKennington, London. He was buried with his wife in the churchyard of Kennington Church.[1]
In 1992,Centaur Press issued a new edition ofMoral Inquiries on the Situation of Man and of Brutes, edited by the philosopher Peter Singer, who also wrote the foreword. Singer wrote that he was surprised to discover Gompertz's work and compared Gompertz's arguments with those later associated with theanimal liberation movement.[7]: 11 A different edition was published in 1997 byEdwin Mellen Press, edited byCharles R. Magel.[8]
In 2023, Barry Kew publishedLewis Gompertz: Philosopher, Activist, Philanthropist, Inventor, described as the first full-length biography of Gompertz. The book discusses Gompertz's advocacy for animals and for other causes, including women's rights, the treatment of apprentices, prisoners, enslaved people, and poverty relief. Kew situatesMoral Inquiries within what he describes as Gompertz's wider effort to develop and apply a rational, egalitarian moral philosophy in tension with contemporary religious and social norms. He also discusses anti-Jewish sectarianism and racism faced by Gompertz, and argues that these factors contributed to Gompertz receiving less attention in later histories than the breadth of his reform work might otherwise suggest.[9]
In 2024, to mark the bicentenary of its publication,Moral Inquiries on the Situation of Man and of Brutes was republished as a free digital edition byAnimal Ethics. The organisation described Gompertz as an early contributor toanimal ethics and characterisedMoral Inquiries as the most important work on the subject before the late 20th century. It said that the book anticipated ideas later associated with veganism,antispeciesism, and concern forwild animal suffering, and argued that many of Gompertz's arguments remain relevant to contemporary ethical debate.[6]
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