Lynne Rudder Baker

Lynne Rudder Baker teaches at University of Massachusetts/Amherst. She says: “My work in philosophy springs from a desire to make philosophical sense of the world as we encounter it. I want to understand the nature of the many and various things that we interact with: people, artifacts, legal and political institutions, and so on. Officially, I list my areas of specialization as Metaphysics, Philosophy of Mind, and Philosophy of Religion. I am now working on my fourth book, to be called The Metaphysics of Everyday Life. I write a lot, because there are many things that I want to figure out and to say. And I find it rewarding to try to get clear about issues like these: What is a person? What is human freedom? Are beliefs brain states? Is there a possibility of life after death for wholly material beings? Fortunately, I find writing and teaching to be mutually supporting. In my 30+ years as a faculty member, I have taught an array of courses and seminars—from Wittgenstein to Material Constitution."