Steven Wise was a legal scholar, educator, and fierce proponent of animal rights who founded the Nonhuman Rights Project.
- Died: February 15, 2024 (Who else died on February 15?)
- Details of death: Died of complications of glioblastoma in Coral Springs, Florida, at the age of 73.
- We invite you to share condolences for Steven Wise in our Guest Book.
Steven Wise’s legacy
While attending College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, Wise became involved with the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War, an interest that first drew his eye towards social causes. He studied law at Boston University and briefly practiced personal injury law, but after reading “Animal Liberation” by Peter Singer, he shifted his focus to animal rights – more specifically, animal personhood under the eyes of the law.
Wise founded the Nonhuman Rights Project to that end, “the only civil rights organization in the United States dedicated solely to securing rights for nonhuman animals.” Wise argued that animals have thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and should therefore be treated as people in the eyes of the law. He taught animal rights law at Harvard Law School, Vermont Law School, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, and many others.
Wise was a former president of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. He was also the author of several books on the topic, including “Drawing the Line: Science and the Case for Animal Rights” and “Rattling the Cage: Toward Legal Rights for Animals.” He presented and spoke at seminars across the world and was a subject of the 2016 documentary, “Unlocking the Cage.”
Notable quote
“Because it appears that many, perhaps most, mammals and birds have emotions, are conscious, and have selves, the burden of proving at trial that an individual mammal or bird lacks practical autonomy should be shouldered by the one who wants to harm them”— excerpt from “Drawing the Line: Science and the Case for Animal Rights”
Tributes to Steven Wise
Full obituary: The New York Times
