Lewis Gompertz

Lewis Gompertz (1783/4 – 2 December 1861) was an English philosopher, writer, inventor, and social reformer. He was best known for his pioneering advocacy of the moral consideration of animals, early veganism, and opposition to animal exploitation. A founding member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (later the RSPCA), he later established the Animals' Friend Society to promote a more comprehensive ethical stance toward animals. His 1824 treatise, Moral Inquiries on the Situation of Man and of Brutes, offered one of the first systematic critiques of animal use, combining philosophical argument with proposals for social reform. He also supported causes including women's rights, anti-slavery, and the welfare of the poor. In addition to his activism, Gompertz was an accomplished mechanical inventor who sought to develop alternatives to animal labour.

Lewis Gompertz
Portrait from Fragments in Defence of Animals (1852)
Born	1783/4 London, England
Died	(1861-12-02)2 December 1861 (aged 77) Kennington, London, England
Occupations	Philosopher writer inventor social reformer
Years active	c. 1814–1852
Known for	Activism for the moral consideration of animals and veganism
Notable work	Moral Inquiries on the Situation of Man and of Brutes (1824)
Spouse	Ann Hollaman ​ ​ (m. 1809; died 1847)​
Relatives	Benjamin Gompertz (brother) Isaac Gompertz (brother)
Family	Gompertz family

Biography

Early life and family

Lewis Gompertz was born into a large and affluent Jewish family of diamond merchants in London.^[1] He was the youngest of fifteen children of Solomon Barent Gompertz (1729–c. 1807), a merchant based in Walthamstow and Vauxhall, and the fifth son from his second marriage to Leah Cohen (c. 1747–1809).^[2] He was the younger brother of the mathematician and actuary Benjamin Gompertz, and the poet Isaac 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.^[1] The family, descended from the Ashkenazi Gomperz line of Emmerich near the Germany–Netherlands border, was active in the Hambro Synagogue in Hoxton, East London.^[2]

Gompertz married Ann Hollaman at St Leonard's, Shoreditch on 12 December 1809.^[4]

Ethical views and publications

Gompertz devoted his life to opposing animal suffering, arguing that it was morally indefensible to kill animals or use them in ways that did not directly benefit them. A committed vegan, he abstained from all animal products, including milk and eggs, and refused to ride in coaches due to the exploitation of horses.^[2] 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 combined dialogues, moral axioms, and practical suggestions for improving the condition of animals. In addition to animal protection, the book criticised capitalism, condemned the oppression of women, and expressed support for Owenite cooperation and social reform.^[2]

[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 published a second volume, Fragments in Defence of Animals, and Essays on Morals, Soul, and Future State, which compiled a selection of his later writings and further developed the arguments first presented in Moral Inquiries nearly thirty years earlier.^[6]

Contributions to animal welfare organisations

Gompertz was a founding member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), later known as the RSPCA, and attended its inaugural meeting in 1824.^[1] Despite the society's early financial difficulties, he took on several key roles, serving as honorary secretary from 1828, acting as de facto treasurer, and frequently contributing personal funds. In recognition of his service, the SPCA awarded him a silver medal in 1832.^[2]

His tenure became contentious due to internal disputes, particularly with the rival Association for the Promotion of Rational Humanity to the Animal Creation. Accusations that Gompertz espoused Pythagoreanism and anti-Christian views contributed to tensions within the organisation. In 1833, after the SPCA amended its constitution to adopt explicitly Christian principles, Gompertz resigned, as the change effectively excluded him on religious grounds.^[2]

Following his departure, Gompertz co-founded the Animals' Friend Society with T. Forster, which he managed alongside his wife Ann until 1846. The society attracted support from evangelicals and Quakers, and for a time surpassed the SPCA in activity and influence. Gompertz edited its journal, Animals' Friend, or, The Progress of Humanity, between 1833 and 1841. He withdrew from public work in 1846 due to ill health, and his wife's death in 1847 further affected him. Although the society's committee continued to meet until 1848, the organisation gradually declined.^[2]

Inventions

Gompertz's improvement on Baron von Drais's draisine, 1821.

Gompertz possessed a notable aptitude for mechanical engineering.^[2] His inventions, though sometimes impractical, were made with a focus on reducing animal suffering.^{[7]: 14–15} They were displayed at his home and later at the Adelaide Gallery. He filed only one patent (for carriages, no. 3804 of 1814) but published a comprehensive Index to 38 Inventions around 1839. His notable designs included an expanding chuck, alternatives to gear wheels, and a modified velocipede intended to avoid the use of animals for transport. His work was featured in periodicals such as the Mechanics Journal and Animals' Friend, and culminated in his compendium Mechanical Inventions and Suggestions on Land and Water Locomotion (1851). The book went through at least two editions. In the preface, Gompertz wrote that many of the devices had been publicly exhibited, and stated that he had been awarded a medal by Prince Albert for some of them.^[1]

Death

Gompertz died of bronchitis on 2 December 1861, aged 77, at his home in Kennington, London. He was buried alongside his wife in the churchyard of Kennington Church.^[2]

Legacy

Title page of the 1992 reprint of Moral Inquiries on the Situation of Man and of Brutes.

In 1992, Centaur Press issued a new edition of Moral Inquiries on the Situation of Man and of Brutes, edited by philosopher Peter Singer, who also contributed the foreword. In it, Singer expressed his surprise at discovering Gompertz's work and noted the striking similarity between Gompertz's ethical arguments and those later advanced by the animal liberation movement.^[7]: 11 A second edition was published in 1997 by Edwin Mellen Press, edited by Charles R. Magel.^[8]

In 2023, Barry Kew published Lewis Gompertz: Philosopher, Activist, Philanthropist, Inventor, the first full-length biography of Gompertz. The book explores his advocacy not only for animals but also for women, apprentices, prisoners, enslaved people, and the poor. It situates Moral Inquiries within a broader project to formulate and practise a rational, egalitarian moral philosophy in opposition to prevailing religious and social norms. Kew discusses the sectarianism and racism Gompertz encountered and argues that such hostility contributed to his historical marginalisation despite the scope of his reformist work.^[9]

In 2024, to mark the 200th anniversary of its publication, Moral Inquiries was republished as a free digital edition by the organisation Animal Ethics. The group described Gompertz as an early pioneer of animal ethics and credited him with producing the most significant work on the subject prior to the late twentieth century. They highlighted his early support for principles now associated with veganism, antispeciesism, and concern for wild animal suffering, noting the continued relevance of many of his arguments to contemporary ethical debates.^[6]

Selected publications

• Moral Inquiries on the Situation of Man and of Brutes (London: Westley & Parrish, 1824)
• Index to 38 Inventions of L. G. (London, c. 1839)
• Mechanical Inventions and Suggestions on Land and Water Locomotion (London: W. Horsell, 1851)
• Fragments in Defence of Animals, and Essays on Morals, Soul, and Future State (London: W. Horsell, 1852)

See also

• List of animal rights advocates