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J. Howard Moore
American zoologist, philosopher, educator, and social reformer (1862–1916) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Howard Moore (December 4, 1862 – June 17, 1916) was an American zoologist, philosopher, educator, and socialist. He was an early advocate for animal rights and ethical vegetarianism, and a prominent figure in the American humanitarian movement. Moore was a prolific writer, contributing numerous articles, books, essays, and pamphlets on subjects such as animal rights, ethics, evolutionary biology, humane education, humanitarianism, socialism, temperance, utilitarianism, and vegetarianism. He also lectured extensively on these topics and was widely recognized for his oratory skills, earning the nickname "the silver tongue of Kansas" for his speeches on prohibition.
J. Howard Moore | |
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![]() Moore c. 1914 | |
Born | John Howard Moore (1862-12-04)December 4, 1862 |
Died | June 17, 1916(1916-06-17) (aged 53) |
Resting place | Excelsior Cemetery, Mitchell County, Kansas, U.S. 39.3967018°N 98.3578033°W / 39.3967018; -98.3578033 |
Other names | Silver tongue of Kansas |
Education | |
Occupations |
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Known for | Animal rights and ethical vegetarianism advocacy |
Notable work | The Universal Kinship (1906) |
Spouse |
Louise Jesse "Jennie" Darrow
(m. 1899) |
Relatives | Clarence Darrow (brother-in-law) |
Signature | |
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Moore was born near Rockville, Indiana, in 1862 and spent his early years in Linden, Missouri. Raised in a Christian household, he initially held the anthropocentric belief that non-human animals existed for human benefit. However, during his college years, he was introduced to Darwin's theory of evolution, which led him to reject both Christianity and anthropocentrism, recognizing the intrinsic value of animals. As a result, he adopted vegetarianism. While studying zoology at the University of Chicago, Moore became a socialist, helped establish the university's Vegetarian Eating Club, and won a national oratorical contest on prohibition. He became an influential member of the Chicago Vegetarian Society and sought to model the organization after the Humanitarian League, a British group of which he was also a member. In 1895, Moore delivered a speech titled "Why I Am a Vegetarian", which was published by the Chicago Vegetarian Society. For the remainder of his life, Moore worked as a teacher in Chicago while continuing to lecture and write.
In 1899, Moore published his first book, Better-World Philosophy, in which he outlined what he perceived as fundamental problems in the world and proposed his ideal vision for the universe. His most well-known and influential work, The Universal Kinship, was published in 1906. In this book, Moore advocated for a sentiocentric philosophy he termed the doctrine of Universal Kinship, based on the shared evolutionary connection among all sentient beings. He further developed these ideas in The New Ethics the following year. In response to an Illinois law mandating the teaching of morals in public schools, Moore published educational materials, including two books and a pamphlet. He later wrote two books on evolution: The Law of Biogenesis (1914) and Savage Survivals (1916). After struggling with chronic illness and depression for several years, Moore killed himself at the age of 53 in Jackson Park, Chicago.