Raymond Frey

Raymond G. Frey (1941–2012) was an American philosopher and professor of philosophy at Bowling Green State University. His academic focus was on moral philosophy, political philosophy, and legal philosophy. Frey authored and edited several books and was recognized as a notable critic of animal rights. His work often drew from a preference utilitarian viewpoint. Frey earned his B.A. in philosophy from The College of William and Mary in 1966, followed by an M.A. from the University of Virginia in 1968. He later obtained his D.Phil. in philosophy in 1974 from the University of Oxford, where R. M. Hare served as his supervisor. His doctoral thesis was on the subject of 'Rules and Consequences as Grounds for Moral Judgment'. Frey's significant publications include 'Interests and Rights: The Case Against Animals' (1980), 'Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide' (1998), and 'The Oxford Handbook of Animal Ethics' (2011). In his critique of animal rights, particularly in 'Interests and Rights', Frey argued against the notion that animals possess interests, suggesting that interests are contingent on desire and belief, which he contended animals lack due to their inability to form second-order beliefs, a capacity he linked to language.