Lynne Rudder Baker (February 14, 1944 – December 24, 2017) was an American philosopher and author. At the time of her death she was a Distinguished Professor at the
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, ...
.
Born in
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
in 1944 to Virginia Bennett and James Rudder, she earned her Ph.D. in 1972 from
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...
after beginning her graduate studies at
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...
in 1967. She was a fellow of the
National Humanities Center The National Humanities Center (NHC) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities. The NHC operates as a privately incorporated nonprofit and is not part of any university or federal agency. The center was planned under the auspi ...
(1983–1984) and the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (or Wilson Center) is a quasi-government entity and think tank which conducts research to inform public policy. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Wash ...
(1988–1989).
She joined the faculty of UMass Amherst in 1989. She is the author of several books, notably ''Saving Belief: A Critique of
Physicalism'' (1987), ''Explaining Attitudes: A Practical Approach to the Mind'' (1995), ''Persons and Bodies: A Constitution View'' (2000), and ''The Metaphysics of Everyday Life: An Essay in Practical Realism'' (2007).
Along with several other scholars, Baker delivered the 2001
Gifford Lectures
The Gifford Lectures () are an annual series of lectures which were established in 1887 by the will of Adam Gifford, Lord Gifford. Their purpose is to "promote and diffuse the study of natural theology in the widest sense of the term – in o ...
in Natural Theology at the
University of Glasgow
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, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
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, published as ''The Nature and Limits of Human Understanding'' (ed. Anthony Sanford, T & T Clark, 2003). She was a member of the Amherst Grace Episcopal Church. Baker died of
heart disease on December 24, 2017, in
Amherst, Massachusetts, aged 73.
Views on science and religion
Baker imputes to scientists generally the view that human beings are just another species rather than a
special creation of
God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
:
Yet, the sciences are relentless in taking human beings to be just another part of nature: a little more complex than chimpanzees, but not essentially different—certainly not morally and ontologically special. We are just one species among many."Our Place in Nature: Material Persons and Theism
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Notes
External links
Biography and summary of Gifford Lectures by Brannon Hancock
Lynne Rudder Baker, UMass Faculty Directory
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Lynne Rudder
1944 births
2017 deaths
Philosophers from Massachusetts
Christian philosophers
University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty
Vanderbilt University alumni
American women philosophers
20th-century American philosophers
21st-century American philosophers
Writers from Atlanta
Philosophers from Georgia (U.S. state)
The Westminster Schools alumni
20th-century American women
21st-century American women