Terence Dwight Parsons (1939–2022) was an American philosopher, specializing in
philosophy of language
Philosophy of language refers to the philosophical study of the nature of language. It investigates the relationship between language, language users, and the world. Investigations may include inquiry into the nature of Meaning (philosophy), me ...
and
metaphysics
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...
. He was emeritus professor of philosophy at
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
.
Life and career
Parsons was born in
Endicott, New York
Endicott is a Village (New York), village within the town of Union, New York, Union in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 13,392 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Binghamton metropolitan area. The village is named after ...
and graduated from the
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded in 1850 and moved into its current campus, next to the Genesee River in 1930. With approximately 30,000 full ...
with a BA in physics. He received his PhD from
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
in 1966. He was a full-time faculty member at the
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the Universi ...
from 1965 to 1972, at the
University of Massachusetts at Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the Flagship university, flagship campus of the Univer ...
from 1972 to 1979, at the
University of California at Irvine from 1979 to 2000, and at the
University of California at Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the Ca ...
from 2000 to 2012. In 2007, he was elected to the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...
.
Philosophical work
Parsons worked on the
semantics
Semantics is the study of linguistic Meaning (philosophy), meaning. It examines what meaning is, how words get their meaning, and how the meaning of a complex expression depends on its parts. Part of this process involves the distinction betwee ...
of
natural language
A natural language or ordinary language is a language that occurs naturally in a human community by a process of use, repetition, and change. It can take different forms, typically either a spoken language or a sign language. Natural languages ...
to develop theories of truth and meaning for natural language similar to those devised for
artificial language
Artificial languages are languages of a typically very limited size which emerge either in computer simulations between artificial agents, robot interactions or controlled psychological experiments with humans. They are different from both constr ...
s by philosophical logicians.
Heavily influenced by
Alexius Meinong
Alexius Meinong von Handschuchsheim (; 17 July 1853 – 27 November 1920) was an Austrian philosopher, a realist known for his unique ontology and theory of objects. He also made contributions to philosophy of mind and theory of value.
Lif ...
, he wrote ''Nonexistent Objects'' (1980), which dealt with
possible world
A possible world is a complete and consistent way the world is or could have been. Possible worlds are widely used as a formal device in logic, philosophy, and linguistics in order to provide a semantics for intensional and modal logic. Their met ...
theory in order to defend the reality of
nonexistent object
In metaphysics and ontology, nonexistent objects are a concept advanced by Austrian philosopher Alexius Meinong in the 19th and 20th centuries within a " theory of objects". He was interested in intentional states which are directed at nonexiste ...
s.
Works
* ''Nonexistent Objects'', Yale University Press, 1980.
* ''Events in the Semantics of English'', MIT Press, 1990.
* ''Indeterminate Identity'', Oxford University Press, 2000.
* ''Articulating Medieval Logic'', Oxford University Press, 2014.
See also
*
Round square copula
References
External links
Parson's UCLA website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Terence
Living people
Analytic philosophers
American metaphysicians
Abstract object theory
1939 births
University of California, Los Angeles faculty
UCLA Department of Philosophy faculty
People from Endicott, New York
University of Rochester alumni
Stanford University alumni
University of Illinois Chicago faculty
University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty
University of California, Irvine faculty
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Presidents of the American Philosophical Association