Stephen St. C. Bostock

Stephen St. Chad Bostock (2 March 1940 – 5 February 2023) was an English philosopher, zoologist and animal rights writer. He was known for his research on animal ethics in relation to zoos and his 1993 book Zoos and Animal Rights.

Biography

Bostock was born in Northumberland in 1940. He obtained a B.A. in 1962 and an M.A. in 1973 from Queens' College, Cambridge. He studied philosophy and zoology at the University of Hull. He was the education officer for Glasgow Zoo.

Bostock died in Glasgow on 5 February 2023. The book argues that animal rights and zoos do not have to be in conflict as the rights of animals held captive in zoos are not infringed upon in zoos with good conditions with their needs catered for. Bostock did not claim that all zoos are acceptable places for animals, they can only be if they provide certain conditions.

Bostock assigned moral rights to animals as they are conscious beings. However, reviewers of the book noted that his recommendations are indistinguishable from utilitarianism as he concedes that the rights of animals may justifiably be sacrificed if the overall benefit is compelling from a human-interest viewpoint.

Selected publications

Zoos and Animal Rights: The Ethics of Keeping Animals (1993) Animal Well-Being in the Wild and in Captivity (1995)