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© Isa Leshko, Allowed to Grow Old (2019)

À propos
ABOUT
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​I am a postdoctoral fellow in Philosophy at Queen’s University in Canada. I am working with Will Kymlicka on reciprocity in nonhuman animals and its implications for political theory, especially theories of justice. More broadly, I am interested in exploring animals' moral capacities, such as empathy, anger, and reconciliation. My research interests include animal ethics, practical ethics, the philosophy of animal minds, political theory, philosophy of emotion, and moral theory.

 

In 2025, I completed a DPhil in Philosophy at the University of Oxford with the support of a Rhodes Scholarship. My thesis explored the possibility of recognizing some animals as moral agents. At Oxford, I had the chance of being the journal lead at oxford public philosophy, a platform for questioning what philosophy is and how philosophers are doing it. I also gave four lectures with Jen Semler on moral agency in nonhumans and taught the three main undergraduate courses in moral philosophy: Moral Philosophy: Mill (first year), Ethics (second year), and Practical Ethics (third year).

 

I am also the author or co-author of two books on the history and philosophy of animal advocacy: Que veulent les véganes? La cause animale, de Platon au mouvement antispéciste (Fides, 2021, co-written with Alexia Renard) and Au nom des animaux : l'histoire de la SPCA de Montréal (1869-2019) (Somme toute, 2019).

BOOKS
EXPERIENCE
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EDUCATION
ARTICLES

​​​ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS

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Articles

· (2026). Capacitisme, traitement inégal et discrimination positive : quelles implications pour le spécisme ? For the book symposium on Le pire des maux by François Jaquet (Elliot Éditions, 2024). Dialogue : Canadian Philosophical Review / Revue canadienne de philosophie.​​​

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· (2026). Can Nonhuman Animals Hold Each Other Morally Responsible? Ethical Theory and Moral Practice.

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· (2026). John Stuart Mill on the Origins of Justice and the Role of Empathy: A Proposed Account. The Journal of Ethics, 30, 285–303. ​​​

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· (2023). Les véganes au Québec : tensions à gauche et alliances en construction. Bulletin d’histoire politique, 30(3), 155-172.

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Book Chapters

· (2024). Can Animals Be Moral Agents? Why the Debate Matters for Animal Ethics. In Y. Athanassakis, R. Larue & W. O’Donohue (Eds.). The Vegan and Plant-Based Handbook (pp. 51-67). Springer.

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Research Notes

· (2024) Co-written with Michaël Lessard and Daphnée B. Ménard. Le droit animalier québécois : vers un agenda de recherche. Revue de droit de l'Université de Sherbrooke, 53(2), 337-374.

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Book Reviews

· (2024). Baratay, Eric (ed.). L’animal désanthropisé : interroger et redéfinir les concepts, Paris, Éditions de la Sorbonne, 313 pages, Journal of Animal Ethics, 14(1), 110-111.

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· (2021). Allais, Lucy et Callanan, John J. (ed.) (2020). Kant and Animals, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 272 pages, Philosophiques, 48(2), 413-418.

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· (2019). Korsgaard, Christine (2018). Fellow Creatures : Our Obligations to the Other Animals, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 272 pages, Philosophiques, 46(1), 463-468.

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· (2017). Adams, Carol J. (2016). La politique sexuelle de la viande : une théorie féministe critique végétarienne, traduit de l’anglais (États-Unis) par Danielle Petitclerc, Lausanne, Éditions L’Âge d’Homme, 357 pages, Ithaque, 21, 307-312.

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IN PROGRESS

 

· A book chapter on the cultures of urban animals.​

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· A paper on the animal morality debate.​

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CURRICULUM VITAE
SKILLS
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French version

English version

© Isa Leshko, Allowed to Grow Old (2019)

PRESS
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Even if we could speak to animals, should we?​

Essay for Psyche

Co-written with Leonie Bossert

16 October 2025​​

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The truth about AI - garbage in, garbage out​

Interview for Future Tense

ABC Radio National

6 June 2024

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The dangers of AI farming​

Essay for Aeon

Co-written with Jonathan Birch

22 March 2024

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Les origines de la lutte contre la maltraitance animale​

Interview for Aujourd'hui l'histoire

CBC-Radio-Canada Radio 1

25 January 2023

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Moral Animals​

Interview for Four Thought

BBC Radio 4

December 2022

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Empathie, consolation, sens de la justice… Les animaux, ces pros de la morale​

Interview for Le Parisien

15 September 2022

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On Animal Ethics, Rhodes Scholarships, and Public Philosophy​

Interview for The Philosopher's Nest

11 April 2022

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Ce que les véganes veulent, plusieurs jeunes le veulent aussi​

Interview for Le Devoir

With Alexia Renard

27 September 2021​

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