Tom Regan


Tom Regan 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.
Regan was the author of numerous books on the philosophy of animal rights, including The Case for Animal Rights, 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.
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". The Vegan Society remembers him as "a stalwart vegan and activist".

Education and career

Regan graduated from Thiel College in 1960, receiving his M.A. in 1962 and his PhD in 1966 from the University of Virginia. He taught philosophy at North Carolina State University from 1967 until 2001. In 2001 Regan worked with the NC State University Libraries to help establish the Tom Regan Archives, the first US archive focused on animal rights. Regan directed the 1986 film We Are All Noah,

Personal life

Regan and his wife Nancy had two children. Regan died of pneumonia at his home in North Carolina on February 17, 2017.
Regan's papers including correspondence, research files and audiovisual materials are stored at the Special Collections Research Center in NC State University Libraries. The Special Collections Research Center at NC State University set up an annual fellowship in memory of Regan.

Selected works

Books

  • Understanding Philosophy. Encino, California: Dickenson Publishing Co. 1975..
  • Animal Rights and Human Obligations; with Peter Singer. Englewood Cliffs: New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 1976.
  • All That Dwell Therein: Essays on Animal Rights and Environmental Ethics. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1982..
  • The Case for Animal Rights. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1983..
  • Animal Sacrifices: Religious Perspectives on the Use of Animals in Science. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 1986..
  • Bloomsbury's Prophet: G. E. Moore and the Development of His Moral Philosophy. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 1986..
  • G. E. Moore: The Early Essays, edited by Tom Regan. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 1986..
  • The Struggle for Animal Rights. Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania: International Society for Animal Rights. 1987..
  • The Thee Generation: Reflections on the Coming Revolution. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 1991..
  • G. E. Moore: The Elements of Ethics; edited and with an introduction by Tom Regan. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 1991..
  • Defending Animal Rights. Illinois: University of Illinois Press. 2000..
  • The Animal Rights Debate; with Carl Cohen. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. 2001..
  • Animal Rights, Human Wrongs: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. 2003..
  • Empty Cages: Facing the Challenge of Animal Rights. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. 2004..
  • Other Nations: Animals in Modern Literature; with Andrew Linzey. Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press. 2010..
  • Maud's Place and Other Southern Stories. Morrisville, North Carolina: Lulu Press Inc. 2014..
  • A Better Life and Other Pittsburgh Stories. Morrisville, North Carolina: Lulu Press Inc. 2014..

    Films

  • We Are All Noah
  • ''Voices I Have Heard''

    Papers

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