In his paper “The Case for Animal Rights” Tom Regan argues from a roughly Kantian perspective that animals have intrinsic value equal to that of humans and as such should cease to be used as mere resources for others. In this paper, I will detail both Regan’s position as well as the argument which he mounts in its favor. It will be shown that though his argument is valid, it is not sound, being based on a number of unacceptable premises. Whether attempts at replacing the unacceptable premises with more appropriate ones provide a legitimate defense of animal rights or not is left as an open question. (more…)
