Matti Häyry

Matti Häyry (born 20 September 1956) is Professor of Philosophy at Aalto University School of Business in Helsinki, Finland. In 2004-2013, he was Professor of Bioethics and Philosophy of Law at the University of Manchester in England, and before that he held professorships in philosophy and moral philosophy at the universities of Central Lancashire and Kuopio.

Häyry’s main fields of interest have been moral and political philosophy and philosophical bioethics. He studied philosophy at the University of Helsinki and started focusing on medical and healthcare ethics during his postgraduate years. His practical topics in bioethics have ranged from abortion, euthanasia, and resource allocation to genetics, systems biology, and synthetic biology. Theoretically, his work has centred on the main normative doctrines of European moral and political philosophy.

Häyry is a founding member of the International Association of Bioethics and he served on its board of directors during 2001–2009, in 2007–2009 as the association’s president.

In an endeavour to express ethical ideas in an artistic format, Häyry produced in 2013 – with Tuija Takala, Corky Laing, and Lasse Väyrynen – a concept album on the ethics of genetics; Playing God – Corky Laing and the Perfct Child Perform Original Music from Test: the Rock Opera (Gonzo Multimedia 2013).

Häyry is an antinatalist. He has participated in various podcasts and written a few papers on the subject.

Works
Häyry, Matti & Häyry, Heta, Rakasta, kärsi ja unhoita: Moraalifilosofisia pohdintoja ihmiselämän alusta ja lopusta. Kirjayhtymä 1987. ISBN 951-26-3126-1

Häyry, Heta & Häyry, Matti, Taide, tunne ja turmelus: Kaksi näkökulmaa R. G. Collingwoodin estetiikkaan. Helsingin yliopiston filosofian laitoksen julkaisuja 4/1989. ISBN 951-45-5185-0

Häyry, Matti, Critical studies in philosophical medical ethics. University of Helsinki 1990. ISBN 951-45-5554-6

Häyry, Matti, Liberal utilitarianism and applied ethics. Routledge 1994. ISBN 0-415-07785-0

Häyry, Heta & Häyry, Matti, Hyvä, kaunis, tosi – arvojen filosofiaa. Yliopistopaino 1997. ISBN 951-570-357-3

Häyry, Heta & Häyry, Matti, Elämän ehdot: Bioetiikan, vapauden ja vastuun filosofiaa. Yliopistopaino 1997. ISBN 951-570-354-9

Häyry, Matti, Ihannevaltio: Historiallinen johdatus yhteiskuntafilosofiaan. WSOY 2000. ISBN 951-0-25224-7

Häyry, Matti, Mahdollisimman monen onnellisuus: Utilitarismin historia, teoria ja sovellukset. WSOY 2001. ISBN 951-0-25858-X

Häyry, Matti, Playing God: Essays on Bioethics. Helsinki University Press 2001. ISBN 951-570-495-2

Häyry, Matti, Hyvä elämä ja oikea käytös: Historiallinen johdatus moraalifilosofiaan. Yliopistopaino 2002. ISBN 951-570-517-7

Häyry, Matti, Cloning, Selection, and Values: Essays on Bioethical Intuitions. Acta Philosophica Fennica 2007. ISBN 978-951-9264-62-2

Häyry, Matti, Rationality and the Genetic Challenge: Making People Better? Cambridge University Press 2010. ISBN 978-0521757133

Häyry, Matti, Ihminen 2.0: Geneettisen valikoinnin ja parantelun eettiset kysymykset. Gaudeamus 2012. ISBN 978-952-495-249-1