Tom Regan

Tom Regan
Born	(1938-11-28)November 28, 1938 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	February 17, 2017(2017-02-17) (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.animalsvoice.com

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]