In 2007, Robert Stalnaker delivered the John Locke Lectures at Oxford University, addressing the topic of the internal world. Born in Princeton in 1940, he serves as a primary figure in American philosophy, specializing in the intersection of linguistics, logic, and the metaphysics of intentionality through the framework of possible world semantics.
Academic Background
Stalnaker completed his undergraduate studies at Wesleyan University before earning a PhD from Princeton University in 1965. During his doctoral research, he was advised by Stuart Hampshire and influenced by faculty member Carl Hempel. His career included early faculty appointments at Yale University and the University of Illinois, followed by an extended tenure at the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University. In 1988, he joined the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he remained until his retirement in 2016.
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His primary research interests include semantics, pragmatics, decision theory, and the philosophy of mind. Central to his work is the problem of intentionality, which he approaches by defining representation through causal and modal notions. He is widely credited with establishing the field of conditional logic. His approach to possible worlds characterizes them as ways the world could have been, conceptualized as maximal properties. This contrasts with modal realism, which views such worlds as concrete entities.
Language and Assertion
Using possible world semantics, he has developed influential theories regarding natural language, specifically concerning indicative and counterfactual conditionals. His model of assertion proposes that conversation functions to narrow the common ground by eliminating situations in which the stated content is false. This framework served as a significant driver for the dynamic turn in contemporary pragmatics and semantic theory.
Fast facts
- Born: 1940, Princeton
- Citizenship: United States
- Education: Wesleyan University, Princeton University
- PhD Advisor: Stuart Hampshire
- Primary Employer: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Notable Lectures: John Locke Lectures (2007), Casalegno Lectures (2017)
- Professional Membership: American Academy of Arts and Sciences, British Academy
Questions readers ask
What is Stalnaker's view on possible worlds?
He argues that possible worlds are not concrete entities but rather maximal properties representing ways the world could have been.
What is the focus of his work on assertion?
He posits that assertion is a process of narrowing the conversational common ground to exclude situations where the assertion is false.
Achievements
- Held posts at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
