Name Alan Baker | Role Professor | |
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Alan R. Baker is a professor of Philosophy in Swarthmore College (Pennsylvania, United States), specializing in the philosophy of mathematics and the philosophy of science. He is also a former U.S. shogi champion and created the only active shogi club at an American university.
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Academic career
Baker did his undergraduate studies at the University of Cambridge, earning a bachelor's degree in philosophy with first class honours in 1991. He then moved to the U.S. for graduate school, earning a master's degree in 1995 and a Ph.D. in 1999, both in philosophy from Princeton University. His doctoral supervisors were Paul Benacerraf and Gideon Rosen. After working as an assistant professor at Xavier University, he moved to Swarthmore in 2003.
Philosophically, Baker is a mathematical realist who has used examples from evolutionary biology to show the necessity of mathematics in scientific reasoning.
In 2005 the New York Times published an excerpt from the exam from his “Introduction to Metaphysics and Epistemology” course in its “pop quiz” column.
Shogi
Alan Baker has played shogi since 1996 and holds 29th place on the FESA list as of June 1, 2014. His highest place on the FESA list was 19th, on January 1, 2009.
In 2005 he founded a shogi club at Swarthmore College, outside Philadelphia, which is the only active college-based shogi club in the U.S.
Tournament results: