Assoc Prof Toby Handfield - Researcher Profile

Biography

I have a wide range of research interests, from philosophy of physics to moral theory and political philosophy.

I recently completed the manuscript of a book, titled A Philosophical Guide to Chance, to be published in 2012 by Cambridge University Press.

In collaboration with Patrick Emerton, I am working on topics related to the morality of warfare and the status of state and non-state institutions.

In collaboration Daniel Cohen, I have been working recently on moral psychology and how rational agents can cope with choices between incommensurate goods, or between goods which vary in their attractiveness over time. We also have some plans to work on act consequentialism and the nature of causation.

I have had a longstanding interest in dispositional properties, causation, and laws of nature. I recently edited a book, published with OUP, on these topics.

Since 2009 I have been working on an ARC-funded project with Graham Oppy, Jeremy Butterfield, Alexander Bird, and Barry Loewer, on a variety of topics revolving around time, chance, and natural law. For 2010–11, we have been joined by Alastair Wilson on this project as a postdoc.

Recently I have become interested in population ethics and what duties we owe to future generations.

Publications and works in progress are available on my personal webpage.

 

Qualifications

PHILOSOPHY

Institution: Monash University

Year awarded: 2003

ARTS

Institution: University of Melbourne

Year awarded: 1998

Publications

Books

Handfield, T., 2012, A Philosophical Guide to Chance, Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom.

Handfield, T., 2012, A Philosophical Guide to Chance, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Handfield, T. (ed), 2009, Dispositions and causes, Clarendon Press, Oxford, UK.

Book Chapters

Handfield, T., 2010, Dispositions, manifestations, and causal structure, in The Metaphysics of Powers: Their Grounding and their Manifestations, eds Anna Marmodoro, Routledge, New York USA, pp. 106-132.

Handfield, T., 2009, The metaphysics of dispositions and causes, in Dispositions and Causes, eds Toby Handfield, Clarendon Press, Oxford, UK, pp. 1-30.

Journal Articles

Handfield, T., 2011, Absent desires, Utilitas [P], vol 23, issue 4, Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom, pp. 402-427.

Cohen, D., Handfield, T., 2011, Rational capacities, resolve, and weakness of will, Mind [P], vol 119, issue 476, Oxford University Press, UK, pp. 907-932.

Emerton, P.C., Handfield, T., 2009, Order and affray: Defensive privileges in warfare, Philosophy & Public Affairs [P], vol 37, issue 4, Wiley Blackwell, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA, pp. 382-414.

Butchart, S.J., Handfield, T., Restall, G., 2009, Using peer instruction to teach philosophy, logic, and critical thinking, Teaching Philosophy [P], vol 32, issue 1, Philosophy Documentation Centre, US, pp. 1-40.

Handfield, T., Bird, A.J., 2008, Dispositions, Rules, and Finks, Philosophical Studies, vol 140, issue 2, Springer, Netherlands, pp. 285-298.

Handfield, T., 2008, Humean Dispositionalism, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, vol 86, issue 1, Routledge, London, pp. 113-126.

Handfield, T., Twardy, C., Korb, K.B., Oppy, G.R., 2008, The Metaphysics of Causal Models: Where's the Biff?, Erkenntnis, vol 68, Springer, Netherlands, pp. 149-168.

Handfield, T., 2008, Unfinkable Dispositions, Synthese, vol 160, issue 2, Springer, Netherlands, pp. 297-308.

Cohen, D., Handfield, T., 2007, Finking Frankfurt, Philosophical Studies, vol 135, issue 3, Springer, Netherlands, pp. 363-374.

Handfield, T., 2005, Armstrong and the modal inversion of dispositions, The Philosophical Quarterly, vol 55, issue 220, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, UK, pp. 452-461.

Handfield, T., Pisciotta, T., 2005, Is the risk-liability theory compatible with negligence law?, Legal Theory, vol 11, issue 4, Cambridge University Press, UK, pp. 387-404.

Handfield, T., 2005, Lange on essentialism, counterfactuals, and explanation, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, vol 83, issue 1, Routledge, UK, pp. 81-85.

Handfield, T., 2004, Counterlegals and necessary laws, The Philosophical Quarterly, vol 54, issue 216, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, UK, pp. 402-419.

Handfield, T., 2003, Nozick, prohibition, and no-fault motor insurance, Journal of Applied Philosophy, vol 20, issue 2, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford UK, pp. 201-208.

Handfield, T., 2001, Dispositional essentialism & the possibility of a law-abiding miracle, The Philosophical Quarterly, vol 51, issue 205, Blackwell Publishers Ltd, Oxford UK, pp. 484-494.

Other

Handfield, T., 2010, Laws of nature, A companion to philosophy in Australia and New Zealand, vol other, Monash University Publishing, Melbourne, Australia, pp. 242-244.

Postgraduate Research Supervisions

Current Supervision

Program of Study:

(MASTER'S BY RESEARCH).

Supervisors:

Baltzly, D (Main), Handfield, T (Associate).

Program of Study:

(MASTER'S BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

A new theory of rational decisions.

Supervisors:

Handfield, T (Main), Oppy, G (Associate).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Back to the present: Defending presentist time travel..

Supervisors:

Handfield, T (Main), Bigelow, J (Associate).

Program of Study:

(MASTER'S BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Bayesian Foundations and Self-Deception.

Supervisors:

Hohwy, J (Main), Handfield, T (Associate).

Program of Study:

(MASTER'S BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Fine-tuning Argument.

Supervisors:

Oppy, G (Main), Handfield, T (Associate).

Program of Study:

(MASTER'S BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Metaethics - A Moral Nihilist Ethic.

Supervisors:

Handfield, T (Main), May, J (Associate).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Population Ethics: morality of procreation, and the duties and responsibilities to future people.

Supervisors:

Handfield, T (Main), Lamey, A (Associate).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

The dynamic present: not yet an ontology of the past.

Supervisors:

Handfield, T (Main), Bigelow, J (Associate).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Theorising collective resistance.

Supervisors:

Emerton, P (Main), Handfield, T (Associate), Smith, D (Associate).

Completed Supervision

Student:

Burgess, S.

Program of Study:

Consequentialism: an ironic view. (PHD) 2006.

Supervisors:

Baltzly, D (Main), Handfield, T (Associate).

Student:

Castelow, A.

Program of Study:

Categorising and Representing Theories of Well-being. (Masters) 2007.

Supervisors:

Baltzly, D (Joint-Co), Handfield, T (Joint).

Student:

Edwards, D.

Program of Study:

Eroding Ethical Prescribing - How Pharmaceutical Marketing Undermines Informed Consent and Causes Harm. (Masters) 2009.

Supervisors:

Oakley, J (Main), Handfield, T (Associate).

Student:

Green, S.

Program of Study:

An eliminativist challenge to moral fictionalism . (Masters) 2012.

Supervisors:

Handfield, T (Main), Oppy, G (Associate).

Student:

Krohn, P.

Program of Study:

Reproductive obligations. (Masters) 2012.

Supervisors:

Handfield, T (Main), Sparrow, R (Associate).

Student:

Merry, A.

Program of Study:

Thoughts about Mathematics: Content, Causation and Coincidence. (Masters) 2011.

Supervisors:

Bigelow, J (Joint), Handfield, T (Joint-Co).

Student:

Mora, E.

Program of Study:

Understanding Harming Actions: A Defence of the Harm-State Theory. (Masters) 2008.

Supervisors:

Handfield, T (Main), Sparrow, R (Associate).

Student:

Ngari, I.

Program of Study:

A Limited Relation but not a Total Separation: The Relation between the State and Religion in a Pluralist Democratic State, Particularly in Indonesia. (Masters) 2008.

Supervisors:

Green, K (Main), Handfield, T (Associate).

Student:

Pinchin, A.

Program of Study:

Judicious agent theory. (PHD) 2012.

Supervisors:

Green, K (Main), Handfield, T (Associate).

Student:

Quinn, A.

Program of Study:

Taking Equality Seriously: Parental Rights, Genetic Testing and Shared Parenting. (Masters) 2009.

Supervisors:

Handfield, T (Main), Cuthbert, D (Associate).