Distinguished Faculty Lecture: Lynne Rudder Baker
Professor of Philosophy Lynne Rudder Baker will present the second Distinguished Faculty Lecture of the 2005-06 year. Her lecture is titled "When Do Persons Begin and End? A Philosopher Looks at Life, Death and What We Are."
Defining when human life begins and ends has always been vexing but advancing technology and media hype now raise urgent questions on the status of—say—fertilized eggs, frozen embryos, organ donors, and those in a persistent vegetative state. If we're just animals, as many people think, do we exist exactly as long as our organisms exist? Professor Baker will argue that, while we're wholly material beings, biology does not tell the full story of what we are, and to think usefully about human life and death, we must recognize how we're in an ontological category distinct from that of even our closest biological kin.
Lynne Rudder Baker joined the university in 1989. Her areas of interest include metaphysics, philosophy of mind and philosophical theology. Baker is currently conducting research on the nature of the material world, and the nature of human persons. Before coming to UMass, Professor Baker was an assistant professor of philosophy at Middlebury College from 1976-79, associate professor from 1979-94 and professor from 1984-94. She was an assistant professor of philosophy at Mary Baldwin College from 1972-76. She earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Vanderbilt University in 1966 and a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Johns Hopkins University in 1968. She earned a master's degree and a doctorate in philosophy from Vanderbilt in 1972. Professor Baker was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pittsburgh from 1974-75.
At the conclusion of the lecture, Professor Baker will be presented with a Chancellor's Medal, the highest honor awarded on campus.
A reception immediately follows the lecture.
