Rebekah Humphreys

Senior Lecturer (Philosophy)
Rebekah Humphreys headshot

Background

Dr Humphreys’ research in applied ethics, particularly in animal and environmental ethics, overlaps considerably with ethology and psychology. Rebecca is especially interested in areas of research where these intersections are evident and where interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches can drive progress in addressing key issues related to justice, climate ethics, the environment, hunger, and health. 

Specialist Subjects

  • Environmental Philosophy
  • Animal Ethics
  • Critical Animal Studies

Professional and/or Research Experience

Dr Humphreys serves as Co-Chair of the University Research Ethics and Integrity Committee and she is involved in editorial work for academic journals, including blind peer reviewing for multiple publications. Rebekah also contributes as an external examiner, participates extensively in committee work, and provides consultative and advisory support.

Qualifications

  • BA Hon. (University of Wales, Cardiff), 1996
  • MA Ethics and Social Philosophy (Cardiff University), 2001
  • PhD in Philosophy (Cardiff University), 2010

Languages Spoken

English

Professional Membership or Roles

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Link to Orcid Profile

ORCID Research profile

Professional Publications

  • Publications (last 10 years):
  • 1. Animal Studies and Philosophy (Polity, 2026).
  • 2. ‘International Animal Welfare: Integrating Animal Ethics, International Law and Sustainable Development Goals’, forthcoming.
  • 3. Co-authored with Robin Attfield, ‘Nonhuman Animals and the Scope of Justice’, Journal of Value Inquiry, 11 Feb. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10790-024-10022-9. Open access.
  • 4. Co-authored with Adrian Davis, ‘A Sartrean (or new intentionalist) analysis of the fallacy of the intentional fallacy: thought, consciousness and conflicts of interests’, Metodo: International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy, Ethics, Climate and the Environment, edited by Dale Jamieson, et al, 12 (1), 2024, 61-82. https://10.19079/metodo.12.1.61.
  • 5. Co-authored with Nithin Varghese, ‘‘The Trio-Model’: a new, transformative framework for an old, broken system’, Jahr – European Journal of Bioethics, Vol. 15, No.1, 2024, 65 – 85. https://doi.org/10.21860/j.15.1.3
  • 6. Review of Attfield, Robin, Applied Ethics: An Introduction (Polity: Cambridge, UK, 2022, and Hoboken, NJ, 2023), Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics, Vol.15, No.3, 2024.
  • 7. Animals, Ethics, and Language: The Philosophy of Meaningful Communication in the Lives of Animals, The Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics Series (Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2023).
  • 8. ‘Animal ethics in relation to desensitisation and extreme compartmentalisation’, Open Access Government, 7 June 2023. https://doi.org/10.56367/OAG-039-10907.
  • 9. With Kevin Krein, Jim Parry, Irena Martinkova, Book Symposium: Kevin Krein’s Philosophy and Nature Sports, Sport Ethics and Philosophy, 17(2), December 2022, 1-35. DOI: 10.1080/17511321.2022.2117842
  • 10. ‘Sensitising science to research involving animals, Research Outreach, 133, 2022, 10.32907/RO-133-3631490943
  • 11. Triple-authored with R. Chakraborty, and N. Varghese, ‘Ethics, zoonoses, and human-nonhuman conflict: Covid-19 and beyond’, Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics, Vol. 22, 2022, 69-74. https://doi.org/10.3354/esep00203
  • 12. ‘A ‘Game’ Bird? On Why Hunting is Not a Game and Thus Not a Sport, Journal of Sports, Ethics and Philosophy, 2023, DOI: 10.1080/17511321.2023.2189292
  • 13. (Co-authored with Prof. R. Attfield), ‘Textbook Teaching: On the Innovativeness of Traditional Teaching Methods for Achieving Excellence in Student Scholarship and Reducing Workload Demands’, Journal of Educational Studies and Multidisciplinary Approaches (JESMA), 1 (1), 71-77. ISSN 2757-8747
  • 14. ‘Moral Feelings, Compartmentalization and Desensitization in the Practice of Animal Experimentation’, in Natalie Thomas (ed.), Animals and Business Ethics (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022), pp. 229-250.
  • 15. ‘Philosophy, ecology and elephant equality’. Animal Sentience: An Interdisciplinary Journal on Animal Feeling, 28 (11), Mar. 25, 2020. [https://animalstudiesrepository.org/animsent/vol5/iss28/11/]
  • 16. ‘Games, Fair-Play and a Sporting-Chance: A Conceptual Analysis of Blood-Sports’, in Yearbook of the Irish Philosophical Society, 2017/18: Special Edition: ‘Humans and Other Animals’ (2020). Published by Irish Philosophical Society. Ed. Noel Kavanagh.
  • [http://www.fletcherism.co.uk/IPS/yearbook/]
  • 17. Humphreys, Rebekah, ‘Suffering, Sentientism, and Sustainability: An Analysis of a Non-Anthropocentric Moral Framework for Climate Ethics’, in Brian G. Henning and Zack Walsh (eds.), Climate Change, Ethics and the Nonhuman World (New York, and Oxon, UK: Routledge, 2020), pp.49-62.
  • 18. (Co-authored with Dr Kate Watson), ‘The Killing Floor and Crime Narratives: Marking Women and Nonhuman Animals’, Tattoos in Crime and Detective Narratives: Marking and Remarking, eds Kate Watson and Katherine Cox (Manchester University Press 2019). * Tattoos in Crime and Detective Narratives won the International Crime Fiction Association annual prize 2020. You can find out more here - and there's a review coming up in Crime Fiction Studies (EUP) - https://www.captivatingcriminalitynetwork.net/book-prize.html.
  • 19. (Co-authored with Prof. Robin Attfield), ‘Justice and Non-Human Beings, Part II’, in Bangladesh Jrn. of Bioethics (8:1), 2017, pp.44-77. ISSN 2226-9231 (print); 2078-1458 (online).
  • 20. (Co-authored with Prof. Robin Attfield), ‘Justice and Non-Human Beings, Part I’, in Bangladesh Jrn. of Bioethics (7:3), 2016, pp.1-11. ISSN 2226-9231 (print); 2078-1458 (online)
  • 21. ‘Dignity and its violation examined within the context of animal ethics’, Ethics and the Environment (21:2), Fall 2016, 143-162.
  • 22. Humphreys, R. (2016), ‘Biocentrism’, in Encyclopedia of Global Bioethics, edited by Henk Have, Springer, Cham., 2016, pp.263-272. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09483-0_41.
  • 23. ‘The Argument from Existence, Blood-Sports, and ‘Sport-Slaves’’, Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics (published by Springer), Vol. 27, Issue 2, 2014, pp. 331-345. ISSN: 1187-7863. DOI: 10.1007/s10806-013-9466-7.
  • *This article has been featured in the ‘Key Research Article’ section of the journal Sociology Research (www.sociologyresearch.org, 28th May 2014).
  • Project outreach: examples: digital resources on desensitisation:
  • Title: Sensitising science to research involving animals (2022-2023):
  • 1. Article
  • 2. Video abstract
  • 3. Podcast created: for podcast embedded into the article see: Sensitising science to research involving animals (researchoutreach.org)
  • 4. Animation (with Science Animated) https://youtube.com/watch?v=zY8W7P2q0gs
  • 1. Article: Research Outreach, 16/12/2022:
  • ‘Sensitising science to research involving animals’, Research Outreach, 133, 2022, 10.32907/RO-133-3631490943, https://researchoutreach.org/publications/issue-133/
  • 2. Video abstract, live 14/2/2023:
  • How can we sensitise science to research involving animals? - YouTube
  • The video has been embedded into online article: Sensitising science to research involving animals (researchoutreach.org)
  • 3. Podcast –live Mar 4, 2023:
  • ResearchPod website: Sensitising science to research involving animals - (researchpod.org)
  • Embedded podcast into article Sensitising science to research involving animals (researchoutreach.org)
  • Research Outreach Impact Report – available upon request
  • 4. Animation – live 31/7/2023
  • With SciAni branding: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1z65m3pf1mc92dciq9yif/Rebekah-Humphreys-V4-LOGOS.mp4?rlkey=epi3tw2c6vhj6ihrz6ypea427&dl=0
  • Without SciAni branding: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lkn81qqis2q0ef9/Rebekah%20Humphreys%20V4.mp4?dl=0
  • https://youtube.com/watch?v=zY8W7P2q0gs
  • Science Animated Impact Report, 23/8/2023 – available upon request

Available to Supervise Doctoral Students

Yes