Herman Cappelen
Encyclopedia
Herman Cappelen is a Norwegian philosopher currently teaching at the University of St Andrews
in Scotland
. His main areas of research include philosophy of language
, philosophical methodology and related areas in epistemology, philosophy of mind
, and metaphysics
.
from the University of Oxford
, Balliol College, in 1989. In 1996, Cappelen received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley
. The title of his dissertation was "The Metaphysics of Words and the Semantics of Quotation". His advisors were Charles Chihara, Stephen Neale
, and John Searle
.
where he holds an Arché Chair. He has previously held positions at Somerville College, Oxford
, University of Oslo
, and Vassar College
. He has been the Director of the Arché
Philosophical Research Centre and a co-investigator of two research projects funded by longterm AHRC
grants: "Contextualism and Relativism" and "Intuitions and Philosophical Methodology". Cappelen was one of the original applicants for the research center Centre for the Study of Mind in Nature (Norwegian Centre of Excellence) at the University of Oslo
, where he is director of research and co-director of the Linguistic Agency component. Cappelen has been a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
since 2008.
Several papers and edited volumes.
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. His main areas of research include 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...
, philosophical methodology and related areas in epistemology, philosophy of mind
Philosophy of mind
Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain. The mind-body problem, i.e...
, and metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
.
Education
Cappelen received a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and EconomicsPhilosophy, Politics, and Economics
Philosophy, politics, and economics is a popular interdisciplinary undergraduate/graduate degree which combines study from the three disciplines...
from the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, Balliol College, in 1989. In 1996, Cappelen received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. The title of his dissertation was "The Metaphysics of Words and the Semantics of Quotation". His advisors were Charles Chihara, Stephen Neale
Stephen Neale
Stephen Roy Albert Neale is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Linguistics and holder of the John H. Kornblith Family Chair in the Philosophy of Science and Values at the Graduate Center, City University of New York...
, and John Searle
John Searle
John Rogers Searle is an American philosopher and currently the Slusser Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley.-Biography:...
.
Academic career
Since 2007 Cappelen has been a Professor at the University of St AndrewsUniversity of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
where he holds an Arché Chair. He has previously held positions at Somerville College, Oxford
Somerville College, Oxford
Somerville College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and was one of the first women's colleges to be founded there...
, University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
, and Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
. He has been the Director of the Arché
Arche
Arche is a Greek word with primary senses 'beginning', 'origin' or 'first cause' and 'power', 'sovereignty', 'domination' as extended meanings. This list is extended to 'ultimate underlying substance' and 'ultimate undemonstrable principle'...
Philosophical Research Centre and a co-investigator of two research projects funded by longterm AHRC
AHRC
AHRC can refer to:* Asian Human Rights Commission* Arts and Humanities Research Council* Association for the Help of Retarded Children* American Homeowners Resource Center* Australian Human Rights Commission...
grants: "Contextualism and Relativism" and "Intuitions and Philosophical Methodology". Cappelen was one of the original applicants for the research center Centre for the Study of Mind in Nature (Norwegian Centre of Excellence) at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
, where he is director of research and co-director of the Linguistic Agency component. Cappelen has been a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway.-History:The University of Oslo was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem had no university, but had a learned...
since 2008.
Publications
Books:- Philosophy without Intuitions, forthcoming, Oxford University Press, 2012http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199644865.do?keyword=cappelen&sortby=bestMatches
- Relativism and Monadic Truth (with John HawthorneJohn HawthorneJohn Hawthorne is the Waynflete Professor of Metaphysical Philosophy at Oxford University, though he continues to teach on a visiting basis at Princeton University...
), Oxford University Press, 2009http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199560554.do?keyword=cappelen&sortby=bestMatches - Language Turned on Itself: The Semantics and Pragmatics of Metalinguistic Discourse (with Ernest LeporeErnest LeporeErnest Lepore is an American philosopher and cognitive scientist. He is currently Acting Director of the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science, and a professor at Rutgers University...
), Oxford University Press, 2007http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199231195.do?keyword=herman+cappelen&sortby=bestMatches - Insensitive Semantics: A Defense of Semantic Minimalism and Speech Act Pluralism (with Ernest LeporeErnest LeporeErnest Lepore is an American philosopher and cognitive scientist. He is currently Acting Director of the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science, and a professor at Rutgers University...
), Wiley-Blackwell, 2004http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1405126752.html
Several papers and edited volumes.