Rate My Professor Tom Regan

Tom Regan was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at North Carolina State University, where he served from 1967 to 2002. He received his A.B. in Philosophy from Thiel College in 1960, followed by an M.A. in 1962 and a Ph.D. in 1966, both in Philosophy from the University of Virginia. Before joining NC State as Assistant Professor of Philosophy, he was Instructor and Assistant Professor at Sweet Briar College from 1965 to 1967. At NC State, Regan was promoted to Associate Professor in 1972 and to Professor in 1978. He served as Head of the Department of Philosophy and Religion from 1996 to 1999 and held visiting distinguished scholar positions at the University of Calgary in 1977, Brooklyn College in 1982, and Eastern Michigan University in 1996. Regan was recognized for his excellence in teaching, receiving Outstanding Teacher awards in 1969-1970, 1974-1975, and 1993-1994.

Specializing in animal rights and the moral philosophy of G.E. Moore, Regan authored or edited more than twenty books and hundreds of articles. Key publications include The Case for Animal Rights (1983, translated into Swedish, Dutch, Italian, and German, nominated for Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award), Bloomsbury's Prophet: G. E. Moore and the Development of His Moral Philosophy (1987, also nominated for Pulitzer and National Book Award), All That Dwell Therein: Essays on Animal Rights and Environmental Ethics (1982), Defending Animal Rights (2000), Empty Cages: Facing the Challenge of Animal Rights (2004), and Animal Rights, Human Wrongs: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy (2004). His work significantly influenced philosophical and public discussions on animal rights, environmental ethics, and other moral issues such as abortion and the death penalty. Regan received major honors including the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal, NC State's highest faculty award (2000); Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities (1980-1981) and National Humanities Center (1984-1985); the Joseph Wood Krutch Medal from the Humane Society of the United States (1987); and the Gandhi Award for contributions to the animal rights movement (1986). He served on the editorial boards of Ethics and The Australian Journal of Professional and Applied Ethics, and was a member of the American Philosophical Association's Committee on Medical Ethics. Regan delivered hundreds of lectures worldwide to educators, policymakers, students, and the public, and co-founded the Culture & Animals Foundation.