Dr. Joseph Baltimore aka Dr. Bmore

What are your areas of specialization/research?
Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Religion.

What philosophical questions/research are you interested in currently?
Whether or not genuine mental causation is consistent with a physicalist account of persons, i.e. the problem of mental causation. I am also interested in exploring alternative accounts of the mind’s dependency on the body, which the physicalist may employ to answer the problem of mental causation.

What areas of philosophy will you be teaching?
Metaphysics, Problems of Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind.

Do you have a favorite philosopher? If so, who and why?
Descartes, for his clarity, novel arguments, and issues addressed.

What are you most looking forward to at WVU?
The people in the department. Indeed, it is the friendly faculty and highly motivated students that largely attracted me to WVU in the first place.

What are your goals at WVU? What are you hoping to accomplish?
First and foremost, to be a great Professor for my students. Close second, to grow as a philosopher, building off of both the students and my new colleagues.

What do you think the best aspects of your job will be?
Spending time with the students, who are not only excited about philosophy but also have the talent to do it well. Furthermore, not only am I looking forward to the intellectual environment that is fostered by the students and faculty, but also the friendly atomosphere in and outside of the classroom.

Why philosophy? How did you come to be a philosophy professor?
My first philosophy professor impressed me both as a person and as an intellectual. Furthermore, he had a huge positive impact on my personal life, supporting me both in and outside of the classroom. And after being fortunate enough to have such a strong role model and positive influence, I was determined to work to be an equally admirable man.

What do you do for fun, besides philosophy? What are you current interests/hobbies?
I love basketball!!!

And just for fun, what is your all-time favorite song?
TuPac’s “Dear Mama”