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 , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, 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