Mark Alan Walker
Encyclopedia
Mark Alan Walker, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at New Mexico State University
, 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
in the department of philosophy and the Arts & Science Programme
. He founded and was president of the former nonprofit organization Permanent End International (2003–2007), which had been devoted to ending hunger
, illiteracy and environmental degradation
through the dissemination of modular aquaponics systems for farming. 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
. He is a former board member of the non-profit organization Humanity Plus (formerly World Transhumanist Association).
Professor Walker is a consequentialist 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
; 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 and religion, with Heidi Campbell.
New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University at Las Cruces , is a major land-grant university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States...
, 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 University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
in the department of philosophy and the Arts & Science Programme
McMaster Arts and Science
The Arts and Science Program is a highly exclusive interdisciplinary undergraduate programme at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario...
. He founded and was president of the former nonprofit organization Permanent End International (2003–2007), which had been devoted to ending hunger
Hunger
Hunger is the most commonly used term to describe the social condition of people who frequently experience the physical sensation of desiring food.-Malnutrition, famine, starvation:...
, illiteracy and environmental degradation
Environmental degradation
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife...
through the dissemination of modular aquaponics systems for farming. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Evolution and Technology
Journal of Evolution and Technology
The Journal of Evolution and Technology is the peer-reviewed, electronic, academic journal of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, which publishes contemporary foresight into long-term developments in science, technology and philosophy....
and on the board of directors of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies
Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies
The Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies was founded in 2004 by philosopher Nick Bostrom and bioethicist James Hughes. Incorporated in the United States as a non-profit 501 organization, the IEET is a self-described "technoprogressive think tank" that seeks to contribute to understanding...
. He is a former board member of the non-profit organization Humanity Plus (formerly World Transhumanist Association).
Professor Walker is a consequentialist 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
Biohappiness is the elevation of utility 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 baseline levels of happiness...
; 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 and religion, with Heidi Campbell.
External links
See also
- Perfectionism (philosophy)Perfectionism (philosophy)In ethics and value theory, perfectionism is the persistence of will in obtaining the optimal quality of spiritual, mental, physical, and material being. The neo-Aristotelean Thomas Hurka describes perfectionism as follows:...
- TranshumanismTranshumanismTranshumanism, often abbreviated as H+ or h+, is an international intellectual and cultural movement that affirms the possibility and desirability of fundamentally transforming the human condition by developing and making widely available technologies to eliminate aging and to greatly enhance human...