Patricia Thornton

I am a PhD candidate in philosophy at Rice University. I work on value theory, ethics, metaethics, and moral psychology, and have interests in action theory and modern philosophy.

My book project, Perfectionism and Love, argues that perfectionism, the theory of well-being, cannot account for the non-derivative contribution that love and interpersonal activity make to a good life.

I have taught at the University of Houston–Downtown and Lone Star College CyFair. At Rice University, I have taught high schoolers in the philosophy department’s Ethics summer program and as a fellow through Rice’s Humanities Research Center. I directed Rice’s Houston High School Ethics Bowl for three years.

You can contact me at pct4@rice.edu.