Tom Regan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 28, 1938 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | February 17, 2017 (aged 78) North Carolina, U.S. |
| Education | Thiel College (BA) University of Virginia (MA, PhD) |
| Notable work | The Case for Animal Rights (1983) |
| Spouse | Nancy Tirk |
| Children | 2 |
| Era | Contemporary philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Analytic philosophy |
| Institutions | North Carolina State University |
Main interests | Animal rights theory and advocacy |
Notable ideas | Concept of "subject-of-a-life" |
| Website | regan |
Tom Regan (/ˈreɪɡən/;[1] November 28, 1938 – February 17, 2017) was an American philosopher who specialized in animal rights theory. He was professor emeritus of philosophy at North Carolina State University, where he had taught from 1967 until his retirement in 2001.[2]
Regan was the author of numerous books on the philosophy of animal rights, including The Case for Animal Rights (1983), one of a handful of studies that have significantly influenced the modern animal rights movement. In these, he argued that non-human animals are what he called the "subjects-of-a-life", just as humans are, and that, if we want to ascribe value to all human beings regardless of their ability to be rational agents, then to be consistent, we must similarly ascribe it to non-humans.[3]
From 1985, Regan served with his wife Nancy as co-founder and co-president of the Culture and Animals Foundation, a nonprofit organization "committed to fostering the growth of intellectual and artistic endeavors united by a positive concern for animals".[4] The Vegan Society remembers him as "a stalwart vegan and activist".[5]
- ^ Animal rights philosopher Tom Regan on the Late Late show Part 1 of 4
- ^ "Tom Regan", North Carolina State University, Retrieved 4 June 2011.
- ^ Regan, Tom. The Case for Animal Rights. University of California Press 1983.
- ^ "The Culture and Animals Foundation". Retrieved March 26, 2015.
- ^ "Tom Regan, philosopher and animal rights pioneer, 1938-2017". vegansociety.com. February 20, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2017.