Notices

The Loyola University of Chicago community mourns the loss of Thomas Wren, PhD, professor emeritus of philosophy, who passed away on October 29, 2025.  Wren served Loyola with distinction for more than five decades, joining the Department of Philosophy in 1966 and retiring in 2019.

A respected scholar and dedicated educator, Wren played an essential role in shaping the department’s academic direction. During the 1970s and 1980s, he was a leading force in developing Loyola’s undergraduate and graduate programs in applied ethics at a time when the field was still emerging nationally. His research encompassed the philosophy of education, moral psychology, multiculturalism, and issues of global development and social justice.

Wren was deeply committed to increasing the Philosophy Department’s national and International reputation. He co-led a prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute for High School Teachers on social justice and multiculturalism, which helped catalyze a decade-long collaboration with the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM). This partnership included ethics workshops, international webinars originating from Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus, and the enrollment of multiple ITESM faculty members in Loyola’s doctoral program—several of whom completed their PhDs, including Minerva Ahumada, now a faculty member in Arrupe College.

He also worked to elevate the department’s visibility by facilitating visits from  internationally renowned philosophers such as Philippa Foot, Anthony Kenny, and Charles Taylor and by laying early groundwork for the department’s web presence during his tenure as assistant chair.

Wren was a prodigious scholar. He published numerous books and articles on topics related to ethics and moral psychology: The Moral Domain (MIT, 1990), Caring About Morality (Routledge and MIT Press, 1991), Promise-Giving and Treaty-Making (with P. Karavites; Brill, 1992), The Moral Self (MIT, 1993), Philosophy of Development (3 Vols.) (with W. van Haaften and M. Korthals; Kluwer, 1997), Moral Sensibilities and Education (with W. van Haaften and A. Tellings; Concord, 1998–2007), Moral Obligations: Action, Intention, and Valuation (Transaction, 2010), Conceptions of Culture (Rowman and Littlefield, 2012), and Human Rights and Cultural Meanings (New University Press, 2015).  His articles appeared in high profile journals such as Ethics, Inquiry, Journal of Moral Education, Theory and Research in Education, Journal of Chinese Philosophy, New Ideas in Psychology, and the Journal of Value Inquiry. In addition, he successfully secured funding for philosophical research from the Spencer Educational Foundation.

Wren will be remembered for his great sense of humor. He was a mentor to junior faculty and his deep compassion for those afflicted by the injustice of poverty found expression in his generous support for Global Alliance for Africa, on whose executive board he served for many years. His humanitarian spirit and legacy will long be remembered, and his joyful presence will be truly missed.

A celebration of life will take place at the Shiel Catholic Center, 2110 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60201 at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 22, 2025.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Tom’s memory can be made to the Global Alliance for Africa. 

Please keep his family, friends, and all who knew him in your thoughts and prayers.