Peter Pagin

Peter Pagin, born in 1953, is a distinguished Swedish philosopher currently serving as Professor of Philosophy at Stockholm University. His academic career is deeply rooted in the philosophy of language, with a particular emphasis on the fundamental principles of semantics and the challenges associated with the compositionality of meaning. Pagin's work aims to establish the theoretical underpinnings for core semantic concepts, such as truth and reference, by examining the crucial role that compositional semantic theories play in facilitating successful linguistic communication. This broad focus has led him to engage with diverse subfields within the philosophy of language and logic. He has contributed to discussions on crucial concepts like rules and rule-following, the nature of vagueness, synonymy, and assertion. His scholarship also includes analyses of the works of influential philosophers such as Wittgenstein, Quine, Davidson, and Dummett. Beyond the core areas of philosophy of language, Pagin has extended his research into adjacent fields. He has explored the philosophy of mind, particularly concerning sensation terms, and has also delved into cognitive psychology and psychiatry, with specific work involving speakers with autism. Furthermore, his interests extend to the history of literature, where he has investigated themes of indexicality and point of view. Pagin received his education at Stockholm University, earning a bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Mathematics in 1981 and a PhD in 1987, with his doctoral thesis supervised by Dag Prawitz. He held a postdoctoral research position from 1987 to 1991 and obtained a Docent degree in 1992. In 1996, he was a Fellow at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS) in Uppsala, and in 2002, he was appointed full Professor.