Mary Beatrice Midgley (; 13 September 1919 – 10 October 2018) was a British philosopher. A senior lecturer in philosophy at Newcastle University, she was known for her work on science, ethics and animal rights. She wrote her first book, "Beast And Man" (1978), when she was in her fifties, and went on to write over 15 more, including "Animals and Why They Matter" (1983), "Wickedness" (1984), "The Ethical Primate" (1994), "Evolution as a Religion" (1985), and "Science as Salvation" (1992). She was awarded honorary doctorates by Durham and Newcastle universities. Her autobiography, "The Owl of Minerva", was published in 2005.