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.
Born in
Atlanta, Georgia in 1944 to Virginia Bennett and James Rudder, she earned her Ph.D. in 1972 from
Vanderbilt University after beginning her graduate studies at
Johns Hopkins University in 1967. She was a fellow of the
National Humanities Center (1983–1984) and the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (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
In philosophy, physicalism is the metaphysical thesis that "everything is physical", that there is "nothing over and above" the physical, or that everything supervenes on the physical. Physicalism is a form of ontological monism—a "one substanc ...
'' (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 in Natural Theology at the
University of Glasgow, 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
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...
on December 24, 2017, in
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst () is a New England town, town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,263, making it the highest populated municipality in Hampshire County (althoug ...
, 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
In creationism, special creation is a belief that the universe and all life in it originated in its present form by fiat or divine decree.
Catholicism uses the phrase "special creation" in two different senses:
* in the context of theistic evolu ...
of
God:
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