Tom was one of the University of Glasgow’s most distinguished graduates and also one of its most distinguished professors. He took his first degree at Glasgow graduating MA with first class honours in mental philosophy in 1962. He then went to Balliol College, Oxford as a Snell Exhibitioner and Ferguson Scholar, graduating BA in theology in 1964, and returned to Glasgow to lecture in social and political Philosophy in the Department of Politics. The university awarded him a PhD in 1969 for his thesis “Adam Smith and the Sociology of Morals”. In 1973, Tom was appointed professor of philosophy at the University of Stirling a post he held until 1979 when he again came back to Glasgow as professor of jurisprudence. During this spell at Glasgow, he was also Dean of the Faculty of Law and Financial Studies.

He left Glasgow in 1990 joining the Faculty of Law at the Australian National University where he was professor of law until 2001. During his time there, he was dean of law from 1994 until 1997. Subsequently, he was a professorial fellow at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, Charles Sturt University, Canberra.

Tom made an enormous contribution to scholarship in philosophy and legal theory, publishing influential work on the Scottish Enlightenment and various aspects of moral and legal philosophy including justice, human rights, business and professional ethics.

He also contributed much to public debate about law and ethics. His books included Adam Smith’s science of morals (1981), The Left and rights: a conceptual analysis of the idea of socialist rights (1983), Justice (1988), Prescriptive legal positivism: law, rights and democracy (2004), Rights: a critical introduction (2006) and several co-edited essay collections including Human rights: from rhetoric to reality (1986), The legal protection of human rights: sceptical essays (2001 & 2011) and The new corporate accountability: corporate social responsibility and the law (2007).

Although resident in Australia from 1990 until his death, Tom was a frequent visitor to Glasgow and always made a point of catching up with former colleagues when he was here. Tom will be remembered as a kind and helpful friend and good company.

Professor Tom Mullen, Glasgow University, School of Law