Mark Alan Walker (born 1963) is a Canadian-American philosopher. He is a professor of philosophy at

New Mexico State University New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's tw ...

, where he occupies the Richard L. Hedden Endowed Chair in Advanced Philosophical Studies. Prior to his professorship at NMSU Prof. Walker taught at

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...

in the department of philosophy and the Arts & Science Programme. He is the author of ''Happy-People Pills for All'' (Oxford: Blackwell Press, 2013) and ''Free Money for All'' (New York: Palgrave, 2016). Walker founded and was president of the former nonprofit organizatio
Permanent End International
(2003–2007), which had been devoted to ending

hunger In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs for a sustained period. In the ...

illiteracy Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

and

environmental degradation Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment (biophysical), environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; an ...

through the dissemination of modular aquaponics systems for farming. He serves on the editorial board of the

Journal of Evolution and Technology The Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET) is a technoprogressive think tank that seeks to "promote ideas about how technological progress can increase freedom, happiness, and human flourishing in democratic societies."Joseph R. ...

and on the board of directors of the

Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies The Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET) is a technoprogressive think tank that seeks to "promote ideas about how technological progress can increase freedom, happiness, and human flourishing in democratic societies."Joseph R. ...

. He is a former board member of the non-profit organization Humanity Plus (formerly World Transhumanist Association). Professor Walker is a

consequentialist In ethical philosophy, consequentialism is a class of normative ethics, normative, Teleology, teleological ethical theories that holds that the wikt:consequence, consequences of one's Action (philosophy), conduct are the ultimate basis for judgm ...

who argues that humans have a responsibility to perfect themselves in the realm of morality and virtue. He has written extensively about the ethics of using technology to enhance human capabilities (including advocacy of superlongevity and

biohappiness Biohappiness, or bio-happiness, is the elevation of wellbeing in humans through biological methods, including germline engineering through screening embryos with genes associated with a high level of happiness, or the use of drugs intended to raise ...

); about the possibility of enhancing virtue genetically, through both genetic modification and the cultivation of humans with larger brains and a better understanding of moral reasoning; and about the moral obligations that humans may have toward artificially intelligent beings in the future. He also co-authored an influential piece about the nexus between

transhumanism Transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement which advocates the enhancement of the human condition by developing and making widely available sophisticated technologies that can greatly enhance longevity and cognition. Transhuma ...

and religion, with Heidi Campbell. Ted Peters, "Perfect Humans or Trans-humans?" in

Celia Deane-Drummond Celia Deane-Drummond is Director of the Laudato Si’ Research Institute and Senior Research Fellow in theology at Campion Hall, University of Oxford. She is also honorary visiting Professor in Theology and Science at the University of Durham, UK ...

and Peter Scott, eds., ''Future Perfect?'' (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2006), pp. 18, 21.

References

External links

Mark Alan Walker's homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Mark Alan 1963 births Living people Canadian philosophers Canadian transhumanists New Mexico State University faculty

See also

References

External links