Home


I am an Assistant Professor at the
Wellesley College Department of Philosophy, as of Fall 2008.  I received my PhD in Philosophy from MIT in September 2007, and after that was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University's Program on Global Justice.  (I am back at Stanford in 2011-12 as a Visiting Scholar).  I am originally from New Zealand; hence the charming accent, and the consequentialism.


My current research addresses the foundations and content of claims of distributive justice in global politics and international law.  I am interested in these questions both at a general level and in connection with specific social and political concerns with a cross-border dimension (such as those that arise in relation to international trade, the global environment, labor standards, economic development and immigration).  I am also interested in moral philosophy, especially the merits and problems of contemporary consequentialist theories and the nature of well-being and its role in morality.  I teach courses in global justice, political philosophy and ethics.

In my spare time, I like to swim, play croquet, check out mid-century modern architecture, amass philosophy trivia (parental guidance recommended), visit my  twin sister and mix cocktails.  


: : contact : :

hdebres at wellesley dot edu
781 283 2624

dept of philosophy
wellesley college
founders hall 320
106 central st
wellesley ma 02481

"it is only criminals who presume to damage other people nowadays without the aid of philosophy." 
Robert Musil