Stephen F. Barker

Stephen Francis Barker (January 11, 1927 – December 16, 2019) was an American philosopher of mathematics. He served as a professor emeritus in the Department of Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University's Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. He also held faculty positions at the University of Southern California, the University of Virginia, and Ohio State University. Barker was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and after a year in the Navy, he pursued higher education, earning a bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College in 1949 and both a master's and Ph.D. in philosophy from Harvard University in 1951 and 1954, respectively. During his time at Harvard, he received the Bechtel Prize in 1951 for his essay "A Study of Phenomenalism." His academic career began as an instructor at the University of Southern California (1954–55). He then moved to the University of Virginia, where he was an assistant professor and later an associate professor from 1956 to 1961. From 1961 to 1964, he was a professor at Ohio State University. His career culminated at Johns Hopkins University, where he became a professor in 1964 and was granted emeritus status upon his retirement in 2002. Beyond his teaching roles, Barker was recognized with several fellowships, including a Sheldon Traveling Fellowship in England (1952–53), the George Santayana Fellowship (1955–56), and a Guggenheim Fellowship (1964–65). He was married to Evelyn Barker, also a philosopher, who passed away in 2003. Stephen F. Barker died in 2019 at the age of 92.