Scott Soames
Encyclopedia
Scott Soames is a professor of philosophy
at the University of Southern California
. He specializes in the philosophy of language
and the history of analytic philosophy
. He is well known for defending and expanding on the program in the philosophy of language started by Saul Kripke
as well as being a major critic of two-dimensionalist
theories of meaning.
and his graduate work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) in linguistics and philosophy. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from MIT in 1976.
Soames has previously taught at Yale University
(from 1976–1980) and Princeton University
(from 1980–2004). His departure from Princeton in 2004 was seen as a major loss at the philosophy department there. Gilbert Harman
, one of Soames's colleagues, was quoted at the time saying that "He's one of the most distinguished people we've got." Since 2004, he has been a professor at the University of Southern California
, Department of Philosophy.
and the history of analytic philosophy
. He has published books and articles primarily on issues concerning truth
, reference
, and meaning. Fairly early in his career, he and Nathan Salmon
edited a book entitled Propositions and Attitudes (1989), a collection of readings that investigates philosophical issues surrounding the nature of propositions. Later in his career, Soames has been known for expanding on the anti-descriptivist philosophy of language developed by Saul Kripke
in Naming and Necessity (1972/1980)—see Soames's Beyond Rigidity: The Unfinished Semantic Agenda of 'Naming and Necessity (2002). He is also a major critic of two-dimensionalist
theories of semantics
—see his Reference and Description: The Case against Two-Dimensionalism (2005).
Philosophical Analysis in the Twentieth Century (2003), his two-volume history of analytic philosophy developed from a lecture course regularly given at Princeton, has been the subject of significant controversy among historians of analytic philosophy, with exchanges, often heated, on the Notre Dame Philosophical Review, Brian Weatherson
's blog
, the journal The Philosophical Quarterly, and Soames's own web page.
(1999) Understanding Truth (Oxford University Press).
(2002) Beyond Rigidity: The Unfinished Semantic Agenda of 'Naming and Necessity (Oxford University Press).
(2003) Philosophical Analysis in the Twentieth Century, Volumes 1 and 2 (Princeton University Press).
(2005) Reference and Description: The Case against Two-Dimensionalism (Princeton University Press).
(2010) Philosophy of Language (Princeton University Press)
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. He specializes in the philosophy of language
Philosophy of language
Philosophy of language is the reasoned inquiry into the nature, origins, and usage of language. As a topic, the philosophy of language for analytic philosophers is concerned with four central problems: the nature of meaning, language use, language cognition, and the relationship between language...
and the history of analytic philosophy
Analytic philosophy
Analytic philosophy is a generic term for a style of philosophy that came to dominate English-speaking countries in the 20th century...
. He is well known for defending and expanding on the program in the philosophy of language started by Saul Kripke
Saul Kripke
Saul Aaron Kripke is an American philosopher and logician. He is a professor emeritus at Princeton and teaches as a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the CUNY Graduate Center...
as well as being a major critic of two-dimensionalist
Two dimensionalism
Two-dimensionalism is an approach to semantics in analytic philosophy. It is a theory of how to determine the sense and reference of a word and the truth-value of a sentence...
theories of meaning.
Biography
Scott Soames was born in 1946. He did his undergraduate work in philosophy at Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and his graduate work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(MIT) in linguistics and philosophy. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from MIT in 1976.
Soames has previously taught at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
(from 1976–1980) and Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
(from 1980–2004). His departure from Princeton in 2004 was seen as a major loss at the philosophy department there. Gilbert Harman
Gilbert Harman
Gilbert Harman is a contemporary American philosopher, teaching at Princeton University, who has published widely in linguistics, semantics, cognitive science, philosophy of mind, ethics, moral psychology, epistemology, statistical learning theory, and metaphysics. He and George Miller...
, one of Soames's colleagues, was quoted at the time saying that "He's one of the most distinguished people we've got." Since 2004, he has been a professor at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, Department of Philosophy.
Work
Soames specializes in the philosophy of languagePhilosophy of language
Philosophy of language is the reasoned inquiry into the nature, origins, and usage of language. As a topic, the philosophy of language for analytic philosophers is concerned with four central problems: the nature of meaning, language use, language cognition, and the relationship between language...
and the history of analytic philosophy
Analytic philosophy
Analytic philosophy is a generic term for a style of philosophy that came to dominate English-speaking countries in the 20th century...
. He has published books and articles primarily on issues concerning truth
Truth
Truth has a variety of meanings, such as the state of being in accord with fact or reality. It can also mean having fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal. In a common usage, it also means constancy or sincerity in action or character...
, reference
Reference
Reference is derived from Middle English referren, from Middle French rèférer, from Latin referre, "to carry back", formed from the prefix re- and ferre, "to bear"...
, and meaning. Fairly early in his career, he and Nathan Salmon
Nathan Salmon
Nathan U. Salmon is an American philosopher in the analytic tradition, specializing in metaphysics, philosophy of language, and philosophy of logic.- Biography :...
edited a book entitled Propositions and Attitudes (1989), a collection of readings that investigates philosophical issues surrounding the nature of propositions. Later in his career, Soames has been known for expanding on the anti-descriptivist philosophy of language developed by Saul Kripke
Saul Kripke
Saul Aaron Kripke is an American philosopher and logician. He is a professor emeritus at Princeton and teaches as a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the CUNY Graduate Center...
in Naming and Necessity (1972/1980)—see Soames's Beyond Rigidity: The Unfinished Semantic Agenda of 'Naming and Necessity (2002). He is also a major critic of two-dimensionalist
Two dimensionalism
Two-dimensionalism is an approach to semantics in analytic philosophy. It is a theory of how to determine the sense and reference of a word and the truth-value of a sentence...
theories of semantics
Semantics
Semantics is the study of meaning. It focuses on the relation between signifiers, such as words, phrases, signs and symbols, and what they stand for, their denotata....
—see his Reference and Description: The Case against Two-Dimensionalism (2005).
Philosophical Analysis in the Twentieth Century (2003), his two-volume history of analytic philosophy developed from a lecture course regularly given at Princeton, has been the subject of significant controversy among historians of analytic philosophy, with exchanges, often heated, on the Notre Dame Philosophical Review, Brian Weatherson
Brian Weatherson
Brian Weatherson is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University. Prior to this, he was an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Cornell's Sage School of Philosophy....
's blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
, the journal The Philosophical Quarterly, and Soames's own web page.
Books
- (1989)
Articles
- (1973) "Tacit Knowledge", The Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 70, No. 11., pp. 318–330 (with Christina Graves, Jerrold J. Katz, Yuji Nishiyama, Robert Stecker, and Peter Tovey).
- (1983) "Generality, Truth Functions, and Expressive Capacity in the Tractatus", The Philosophical Review, Vol. 92, No. 4., pp. 573–589.
- (1984) "What is a Theory of Truth?", The Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 81, No. 8., pp. 411–429.
- (1989) "Semantics and Semantic Competence", Philosophical Perspectives, Vol. 3, pp. 575–596.
- (1994) "Attitudes and Anaphora", Philosophical Perspectives, Vol. 8, pp. 251–272.
- (1997) "The Truth about Deflationism", Philosophical Issues, Vol. 8, pp. 1–44.
- (1998) "The Modal Argument: Wide Scope and Rigidified Descriptions", Noûs, Vol. 32, No. 1., pp. 1–22.
- (1998) "Facts, Truth Conditions, and the Skeptical Solution to the Rule-Following Paradox", Noûs, Vol. 32, pp. 313–348.
- (1999) "The Indeterminacy of Translation and the Inscrutability of Reference", "Canadian Journal of Philosophy", Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 321–370.
External links
- Scott Soames, USC - his web site at USC.
- Scott Soames, Princeton - his old web page at Princeton.
- "Soames leaves for USC, weakening philosophy dept." - the Daily Princeton of March 8, 2004.
- The Moscow Center for Consciousness Studies video interview with Scott Soames May 27, 2010.