Dr Rachel Handley

University Teacher Philosophy

About

Personal Statement

I am currently an Honorary Fellow at The University of Liverpool.

Research

I passed my PhD, which I completed at The University of Liverpool, on 1st May 2020 with my thesis "Quasi-Realism: A Defence".

I defend a version of ethical quasi-realism called ideal quasi-realism. In my thesis I defend quasi-realism from challenges which suggest that it is either not realist enough, or that it is not anti-realist enough. In short, I show that there is logical space for quasi-realism in metaethics.

​I argue that my theory, ideal quasi-realism, can solve various challenges for the quasi-realist such as the moral attitude problem, the revised relativism objection, and the fundamental error problem.

My primary research interests are in metaethics, normative ethics, and metaphilosophy. I am currently working on several papers and articles. To find out more about my research see my website.


​Teaching

I was a University Teacher from 2015 until 2020 at the University of Liverpool where I primarily taught ethics and political philosophy.


Events

I recently received a grant from Mind to organise a Science Fiction/Spec-Fiction and Philosophy conference at the University of Durham. I'll announce details about the conference on my website at a later date, do keep a look out for updates.