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New Mexico State University

Mark Walker's Home Page

Five Philosophers
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Here I am trying to look very stern with four other philosophers: Plato, Kant, Hegel and Nietzsche. If you think one of these five philosophers does not belong in such illustrious company you are right. I have no idea how Nietzsche weaseled into the shot.
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If you judge philosopy writing by how glossy the publication is, then I have truly arrived.

Fall 2009 Teaching

Philosophy 101G    The Art of Wondering        Walker     (Section M04)

     This course is a “sampler platter” of philosophy: a rapid survey of some of the great philosophical questions. The following are some of the questions we may consider:

•    Does life have meaning?
•    What happens to us when we die?
•    How do we know that we are not living in “The Matrix”?
•     How should I live my life?
•     Do we have a duty to help those starving in the two-thirds world?
•     Does God exist?
•     Is it wrong to eat animals?
•     What can science tell us about our world and our place in it?

Grades will be based on exams, quizzes and assignments.

Philosophy 321    Biomedical Ethics            Walker     (Section M01)

In this course we will examine moral concerns that arise in connection with life, death and health. Some of these issues touch each of us: we are all born and we all die. Most of us have been ill, or have cared for someone who is ill. How we treat each other through these life stages profoundly impacts the quality of life we experience as individuals; it also says something important about us as a moral community. Some of the questions we will examine are:

•    Is abortion ever morally permissible?
•    Is it morally justifiable to force expectant mothers into drug rehabilitation programs in order to protect the developing fetus?
•    Are genetic researchers justified in their search for “gay genes”?
•    How should we handle refusals of medical treatment?
•    Can medical experiments on children ever be justified?
•    Under what circumstances, if any, should physicians break physician-patient confidentiality?

Philosophy 350    Epistemology                Walker       (Section M01)

In this course we will explore the contribution of philosophical analysis to understanding knowledge. Some of the questions we will explore are:

•    Can skepticism be refuted?
•    Is there a priori knowledge?
•    Is inifinitism the solution to the regress problem?
•    Is truth the primary epistemic goal?

Brief Bio

Mark Walker was born in a small log cabin built on conceptual foundations of his own design. He is an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department where he occupies the Richard L. Hedden Endowed Chair in Advanced Philosophical Studies. Mark’s PhD is from the Australian National University. He previously taught at McMaster University in the department of philosophy and in the Arts & Science Program. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Evolution and Technology and on the board of directors of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. Dr. Walker’s teaching and research interests include ethics, epistemology, philosophy of law, philosophy of religion and philosophy of science. His current primary research interest is in ethical issues arising out of emerging technologies, e.g., genetic engineering, advanced pharmacology, artificial intelligence research and nanotechnology.

Selected Papers in various stages of disarray by yours truly

Metaphysics, Philosophy of Language and Philosophy of Science

  • On the Intertranslatability of All Natural Languages
    This is a draft of a paper under construction. This version is more or less what I read at the 2007 Canadian Philosophical Association meeting. I argue that without what I term the 'semantic expandability thesis', languages may evolve to express novel meanings, thoughts and concepts--the intertranslatability of all natural languages is patently false. If we allow an unrestricted version of the expandability thesis then the intertranslatability of all natural languages follows trivially. I suggest, further, that once we become clear about semantic expandability, it may be that there is more common ground among disputants than initial appearances indicate, and expandability introduces a serious challenge to Davidson's well-known argument for intertranslatability.
  • Swamp Darwin
    This is a commentary on a paper by Claudine Verheggen read at the 2006 CPA. I hope to make it into a stand-alone paper one day.
  • Astrophysical Fine Tuning, Naturalism, and the Contemporary Design Argument
    This is the penultimate draft of a paper co-written with my good friend Milan M. Cirkovic (International Studies in the Philosophy of Science, 20(3): 285-307). Here's the abstract: Evidence for instances of astrophysical 'fine-tuning' (or coincidences) is thought by some to lend support to the design argument (i.e. the argument that our universe has been designed by some deity). We assess some of the relevant empirical and conceptual issues. We argue that astrophysical fine-tuning calls for some explanation, but this explanation need not appeal to the design argument. A clear and strict separation of the issue of anthropic fine tuning on one hand and any form of Eddingtonian numerology and teleology on the other may help clarify what is arguably the most significant issue in the philosophy of cosmology.

Social and Political Philosophy

  • Censorship, Logocracy and Democracy
    Link is for the penultimate draft. Publication details of final version: Censorship, Logocracy and Democracy, The Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence (2008), volume 21 , issue 1 , p. 199-238
  • The Angelic Hierarchy: Aligning Ethical Push and Pull
    A complementary "monetary" system is proposed: a computer-based system that allows us to assess the relative pro-community altruism of individuals. Such an arrangement could provide us with an alternate means of seeking social recognition than that offered by capitalism; specifically, it offers the possibility of social recognition based on altruistic contributions to society. It is conjectured that recognition of altruistic efforts will provide the impetus for increased altruistic efforts. This proposal promises several ethical advantages to our present social arrangements. (Here's a link for the published version: http://www.bepress.com/selt/vol2/iss3/art2)
  • The Case for Maternity Compensation
    This is the penultimate version of a paper forthcoming in Social Research and Practice. I maintain that men have an obligation to pay women for gestating.

Practical Ethics

  • "Designer Babies" and Harm to Supernumerary Embryos
    This is the penultimate version of a paper that appeared in APQ (American Philosophical Quarterly 45(2) October 2008, 348-364). I argue that even if we think that embryos are persons, killing some in the process of choosing the most desirable for implantation does not harm them.
  • Boredom, Experimental Ethics, And Superlongevity
    This is the penultimate version of a paper published in Death and Anti-Death, Volume 4: Twenty Years After de Beauvoir, Thirty Years After Heidegger, edited by Charles Tandy, Ria University Press. I suggest that boredom is probably not a problem for superlongevitists, but we need to run the experiment--live hundreds of years with the help of technology--to find out for sure. The experiment is a good one to run considering the alternative.
  • In Praise of Biohappiness
    This is a draft of a paper I am working on. I argue that there are good moral reasons to develop happy people pills for people who are not clinically depressed. That's right; happy pills for the rest of us.
  • Pro-Social Behavior and Happy-People-Pills
    This is the penultimate draft of a paper forthcoming in Philosophica. I argue that a positive consequence of creating happy-people-pills is that there will be more pro-social behavior (e.g., charity work).
  • Human Extinction and Farsighted Universal Surveillance
    Here's the abstract: This paper attempts to bridge the dilemma created by intrusive surveillance technologies needed to safeguard our security, and the potential negative consequences such technologies might have on individual privacy. I begin with a brief review of the increasing threat to human life posed by emerging technologies, e.g., genetic engineering and nanotechnology. Next, I canvass a potential technological means to mitigate some of this threat, namely, ubiquitous microscopic sensors and then note that a consequence of the deployment of such technology appears to be an erosion of personal privacy on a scale hitherto unimaginable. It is then argued that many details of our private lives are actually irrelevant for security purposes, and that it may be possible to develop technology to mask these details in the data gleaned from surveillance devices. Such a development could meet some, perhaps many, of the concerns about privacy. It is also argued that if it is possible to use technology to mask personal information, this may actually promote the goal of security since it is conjectured that the public is likely to be more willing to accept such invasive technology if it is designed to mask such details. Finally, some applications to our current uses of surveillance technology are drawn.
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    • Universal Superlongevity: Is it Inevitable and is it good?
      Early draft of paper Published in Death And Anti-Death, Volume 3: Fifty Years After Einstein, One Hundred Fifty Years After Kierkegaard, edited by Charles Tandy, Ph.D. I argue that it is likely in the future that most people will choose to live radically extended lifespans. Fortunately, there are good moral reasons for welcoming this outcome.
  • Superlongevity and Utilitarianism
    This is the penultimate version of a paper published in AJP (The Australasian Journal of Philosophy. vol. 85, 4, December 2007, pp. 581-595). I maintain that there are good utilitarian reasons for promoting superlongevity contra Peter Singer.
  • Ship of fools
    I attempt to convince that becoming posthuman is our best bet for surviving the next few hundred years.
  • Uninsured: Heal Thyself

    Uninsured: Heal Thyself, (Or: why the uninsured ought to be permitted to self-medicate)

    Approximately one in six persons in the U.S. lack medical insurance. Legislation permits only physicians to prescribe many common medicines. This state of affairs is unjust. A just society cannot have it both ways: legislation cannot say that the expertise of physicians is so precious that only they can prescribe medicine AND not everyone is guaranteed reasonable access to their services. If there is no guarantee of reasonable access then physicians should not have a monopoly on writing prescriptions, and if there is a monopoly on writing prescriptions then people should have reasonable access to their services. To remedy this situation we must ensure that all citizens have reasonable access to medical services, or allow the uninsured to self-medicate.

Normative Ethics

  • A New Puzzle About Non-Identity
    This is a draft I am working on. The paper argues that there is a latent contradiction in certain Parfitian non-identity cases. In particular, I argue we are sometimes forced into the puzzling situation of describing a policy (or act) as both making and not making things worse for individuals.
  • Genetic Virtue
    This is a draft of a paper I am working on. I argue that by using genetic technologies we could make people more virtuous. Really, it is not nearly as creepy as it sounds.

AI Ethics

  • Mary Poppins 3000s of the World Unite: A Moral Paradox in the Creation of Artificial Intelligence
    This is the penultimate version of a paper published in Human Implications of Human-Robot Interaction: Papers from the AAAI Workshop, edited by Ted Metzler, 2006, California: AAAI Press, pp.23-28. I argue that the bright future where people no longer have to work will never come about. We may be able to create intelligent machines to do the work of humans, but these machines will be persons, so persons will still have to work.

Epistemology

  • The Airport Puzzle: Contextualism Versus Variable Implicit Modal Modifiers
    This is a draft of a paper where I try to save children, puppies and the world at large from contextualists. Here's the abstract: Stewart Cohen has argued that Contextualism provides a solution to the puzzling situation where there is a temptation to say, "I know that P, but P requires further investigation." It is argued (i) that Cohen's solution faces difficulties; and (ii) the Variable Implicit Modal Modifiers proposal provides a much more intuitive solution to the puzzle.
  • On the Fourfold Root of Philosophical Skepticism
    This paper provides a definition of 'knowledge' in terms of four necessary and jointly sufficient conditions: justified, true, gettier, belief. I claim further that we can formulate four specific types of skepticism based on a denial of each of these conditions.

Philosophy of Religion

  • A Neo-Irenaean Theodicy
    The problem of evil can be solved if our vocation is to become gods. I may get burnt at the stake for this one.

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