Bernard Elliot Rollin (February 18, 1943 – November 19, 2021) was an American philosopher, who was emeritus professor of philosophy,
animal sciences, and
biomedical sciences at
Colorado State University.
He was considered to be the "father of veterinary medical ethics".
Early life and education
Bernard Elliot Rollin was born in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York, in 1943. He received his
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
in philosophy from the
City College of New York in 1964, and his
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in philosophy from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in 1972.
Rollin met his future wife Linda while studying at the City College of New York; they married in 1964 and had one son.
Career
In 1969, Rollin joined Colorado State University's department of philosophy.
Rollin specialized in
animal rights
Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their Utilitarianism, utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding s ...
and the philosophy of
consciousness
Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...
, and was the author of a number of influential books in the field. His first books, which were among the first ones about animal ethics at the time, included ''Animal Rights and Human Morality'' (1981), published two years before
Tom Regan
Tom Regan (; 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 reti ...
's ''
The Case for Animal Rights'', and ''The Unheeded Cry: Animal Consciousness, Animal Pain and Scientific Change'' (1988). He also published ''Farm Animal Welfare'' (1995), and ''Science and Ethics'' (2006). He is also co-editor of the two-volume, ''The Experimental Animal in Biomedical Research'' (1989 and 1995). He published his memoir in 2011, ''Putting the Horse Before Descartes''.
He was prominently featured in the film about
speciesism, ''
The Superior Human?'', in which he analyzes the ideology of
René Descartes
René Descartes ( or ; ; Latinized: Renatus Cartesius; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and science. Ma ...
to help show that animals can think and feel. He helped draft the 1985 amendments to the
Animal Welfare Act. In 2016, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Research Ethics from
Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research.
Rollin was a member of the Scientific Expert Advisory Council (SEAC), for Australian animal welfare group
Voiceless, the animal protection institute
Voiceless is an independent, non-profit animal protection charity based in Sydney, Australia. According to its mission statement, Voiceless's vision is for a world in which animals are treated with respect and compassion.
Voiceless was founde ...
. SEAC is a group of academics from around the world who assist Voiceless in the production of quality research and publications which expose legalized animal cruelty and inform public debate. He was also a board member of
Farm Forward Farm Forward is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to promote conscientious eating, reduce farmed animal suffering, and advance sustainable agriculture. Farm Forward aims to eliminate the most harmful practices in intensive animal agriculture, i ...
, a
501(c)(3) organization that implements innovative strategies to promote conscientious food choices, reduce farmed animal suffering, and advance sustainable agriculture.
In 2019, Rollin celebrated 50 years at Colorado State University. He and his wife Linda, a fellow professor in philosophy at Colorado State University, retired in December 2020.
Death
Rollin died in
Fort Collins, Colorado, on November 19, 2021, at the age of 78.
Books
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*with M. Lynne Kesel (eds.). The Experimental Animal in Biomedical Research: A Survey of Scientific and Ethical Issues for Investigators, Volume I. CRC Press (1989).
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*with David W. Ramey. ''Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine Considered''. Wiley-Blackwell (2003). .
*with G. John Benson. ''The Well-Being of Farm Animals: Challenges and Solutions''. Wiley-Blackwell (2003).
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*''Putting the Horse before Descartes: My Life's Work on Behalf of Animals ''. Temple University Press (2011).
See also
*
List of animal rights advocates
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rollin, Bernard
1943 births
2021 deaths
20th-century American philosophers
21st-century American philosophers
American animal rights scholars
Animal cognition writers
Animal ethicists
Bioethicists
City College of New York alumni
Colorado State University faculty
Columbia University alumni
People from Brooklyn
Philosophers of mind