The 1994 publication of Making It Explicit offered a systematic attempt to define linguistic meaning through socially norm-governed use rather than traditional representation. Born in New York City in 1950, Robert Brandom has since established a significant profile in contemporary philosophy, focusing on the interplay between language, intentionality, and the rational structures that underpin human action.
Academic Foundations and Training
Brandom completed his undergraduate studies at Yale University in 1972. He moved to Princeton University for his doctoral work, where he studied under Richard Rorty and David Kellogg Lewis. He earned his PhD in 1977, having completed a thesis titled Practice and Object. These formative years grounded his later interest in the American pragmatist tradition, shaping his approach to logic and semantics.
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Central to Brandom's philosophy is the concept of inferentialism. He argues that the meaning of an expression is determined by its role within an inferential structure rather than by representational content. This project explores how logic makes explicit the rules governing discursive practice. He detailed these ideas in several key works, including his 2000 publication Articulating Reasons: An Introduction to Inferentialism.
Historical Engagements and Professional Career
Throughout his career at the University of Pittsburgh, Brandom has balanced technical logical analysis with historical investigation. He has engaged extensively with the work of Immanuel Kant, G. W. F. Hegel, and Wilfrid Sellars. His 2002 book Tales of the Mighty Dead examined the history of intentionality, while his 2019 work A Spirit of Trust provided a reading of Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. In 2006, he delivered the John Locke lectures at Oxford University, later published as Between Saying and Doing: Towards an Analytic Pragmatism.
Fast facts
- Born: 1950, New York City
- Citizenship: United States
- University: University of Pittsburgh
- BA: Yale University, 1972
- PhD: Princeton University, 1977
- Mellon Distinguished Achievement Award: 2003
Questions readers ask
What is inferential role semantics?
It is the view that the meaning of a linguistic expression is fixed by the rules of inference governing its use.
Which historical figures influence Brandom's work?
His work draws upon Immanuel Kant, G. W. F. Hegel, Gottlob Frege, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Wilfrid Sellars.
Achievements
- Held posts at University of Pittsburgh
- Fields: philosophy, philosophy of language and philosophy of mind
