Tom Regan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
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(s) | Nancy Tirk |
| 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" |
|
Influences
|
|
Tom Regan (born November 28, 1938 – died February 17, 2017) was an American philosopher. He was known for his work on animal rights. He taught philosophy at North Carolina State University from 1967 until he retired in 2001.
Regan wrote many books about animal rights. His book The Case for Animal Rights (1983) was very important. It helped shape the modern animal rights movement. In his books, he argued that non-human animals are "subjects-of-a-life," just like humans. This means they have a life that matters to them. He believed that if we value all humans, we should also value non-human animals in the same way.
In 1985, he and his wife Nancy started the Culture and Animals Foundation. This group helps support intellectual and artistic projects that care about animals. The Vegan Society remembered him as a strong supporter of veganism and an activist.
Contents
Tom Regan's Education and Career
Tom Regan went to Thiel College and graduated in 1960. He then earned his master's degree in 1962 and his PhD in 1966 from the University of Virginia. He taught philosophy at North Carolina State University for many years, from 1967 to 2001. He also directed a film in 1986 called We Are All Noah.
What Are Animal Rights?
In his book The Case for Animal Rights, Regan argued that non-human animals have moral rights. His ideas are similar to those of Immanuel Kant, another famous philosopher. However, Regan disagreed with Kant's idea that only rational (thinking) beings deserve respect.
Regan pointed out that we give value and respect to humans who are not rational. This includes babies and people with severe mental disabilities. He said that the most important thing all humans share is that their life matters to them. What happens to us is important to us, even if it doesn't matter to anyone else.
Regan called this being a "subject-of-a-life." If this is why humans have value, then all "subjects-of-a-life" should have value and moral rights. This includes animals. He believed that the basic right for anyone with inherent value is not to be used just as a tool for someone else's goals.
Why Animals Deserve Respect
Not being used as a tool means animals should be treated with respect. This includes the right not to be harmed. However, this right is not always absolute. Sometimes, protecting one being's right not to be harmed might mean overriding another's.
Regan used principles like the "miniride principle" and the "worse-off principle" to handle these tough situations.
- The miniride principle says that if you have to choose between harming many innocent beings or a few innocent beings (and everyone would be harmed equally), you should choose to harm the few.
- The worse-off principle says that if some individuals would be harmed much more than others, you should try to help those who would be worse off.
Regan believed that the harm from an animal's death is not the same as the harm from a healthy human's death. This is because a human life usually offers more opportunities. However, he also said that a healthy dog might have more opportunities for a good life than a human in an irreversible coma. In that case, the dog's death would be a greater harm.
What Animal Rights Mean for Us
Supporters of Regan's ideas say that his argument for animal rights is not new or strange. They believe it simply applies moral rules we already use for humans to animals as well. However, some people disagree. They find it hard to decide what counts as a "subject-of-a-life" or to be sure about "inherent value." They also say that Regan's conditions for being a "subject-of-a-life" (like having sense-perceptions, beliefs, desires, and memory) often just mean "being similar to humans."
Regan believed that if animals have the right to be treated with respect, then we should stop:
- Breeding animals for food.
- Using animals for experiments.
- Commercial hunting.
He started out eating meat and visiting circuses. But after thinking deeply about it, he realized he could not morally use animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose that did not respect their rights.
Tom Regan's Personal Life
Tom Regan and his wife Nancy had two children, Bryan and Karen.
Regan passed away from pneumonia at his home in North Carolina on February 17, 2017.
Selected Works
Books
- Understanding Philosophy. Encino, California: Dickenson Publishing Co. 1975. ISBN: 978-0822101222.
- Animal Rights and Human Obligations; with Peter Singer. Englewood Cliffs: New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 1976. ISBN: 978-0130375315
- All That Dwell Therein: Essays on Animal Rights and Environmental Ethics. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1982. ISBN: 978-0520045712.
- The Case for Animal Rights. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1983. ISBN: 978-0520049048.
- Animal Sacrifices: Religious Perspectives on the Use of Animals in Science. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 1986. ISBN: 978-0877224112.
- Bloomsbury's Prophet: G. E. Moore and the Development of His Moral Philosophy. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 1986. ISBN: 978-0877224464.
- G. E. Moore: The Early Essays; edited by Tom Regan. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 1986. ISBN: 978-0877224426.
- The Struggle for Animal Rights. Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania: International Society for Animal Rights. 1987. ISBN: 978-0960263219.
- The Thee Generation: Reflections on the Coming Revolution. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 1991. ISBN: 978-0877227724.
- G.E. Moore: The Elements of Ethics; edited and with an introduction by Tom Regan. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 1991. ISBN: 978-0877227700.
- Defending Animal Rights. Illinois: University of Illinois Press. 2000. ISBN: 978-0252026119.
- The Animal Rights Debate; with Carl Cohen. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. 2001. ISBN: 978-0847696635.
- Animal Rights, Human Wrongs: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. 2003. ISBN: 978-0742533547.
- Empty Cages: Facing the Challenge of Animal Rights. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. 2004. ISBN: 978-0742533523.
- Other Nations: Animals in Modern Literature; with Andrew Linzey. Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press. 2010. ISBN: 978-1602582378.
- Maud's Place and Other Southern Stories. Morrisville, North Carolina: Lulu Press Inc. 2014. ISBN: 978-1304292544.
- A Better Life and Other Pittsburgh Stories. Morrisville, North Carolina: Lulu Press Inc. 2014. ISBN: 978-1304292339.
Films
- We Are All Noah (1986)
- Voices I Have Heard (1988)
Papers
- Regan, Tom (1975). "The Moral Basis of Vegetarianism". Canadian Journal of Philosophy 5 (2): 181–214. doi:10.1080/00455091.1975.10716107.
See Also
In Spanish: Tom Regan para niños
- Animal liberationist
- Animal liberation movement
- Argument from marginal cases
- Gary Francione
- Intrinsic value (animal ethics)
- List of American philosophers
- List of animal rights advocates
- Peter Singer
