Ruth G. Millikan
Professor of Philosophy
Department of Philosophy, U-2054
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269-2054
Office: 202 Manchester Hall
Phone: (860) 486-4592
Email: ruth.millikan@uconn.edu

Research Interests

Philosophy of biology, psychology and language.

My research interests span many topics in the philosophy of biology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, and ontology. The unity is in method rather than subject matter. The aspects of these fields that interest me are continuous with relevant scientific work and with the philosophy of science. I have been especially interested in applications of evolutionary theory in these areas, and in the ontology that makes study of biological entities possible.

Online Books

Language:  A Biological Model

Nicod Lectures

On Clear and Confused Ideas

Online Papers

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Existence Proof for a Viable Externalism

On Readings Signs: Some Differences between Us and the Others

Styles of Rationality

Some Reflections on the TT - ST Debate

A Common Structure for Concepts: Individuals, Stuffs and Read Kinds: More Mama, More Milk and More Mouse.

With Enemies Like These, I Don't Need Friends: Words, Concepts and Entities

Biofunctions: Two Paradigms

In Defense of Public Language

Language Conventions Made Simple

Reading Mother Nature's Mind

The Language-Thought Partnership: A Bird's Eye View

The Myth of Mental Indexicals

Historical Kinds and the Special Sciences

Wings, Spoons, Pills, and Quills: A Pluralist Theory of Function

What has Natural Information have to do with Intentional Representation?

How We Make Our Ideas Clear: Empiricist Epistemology for Empirical Concepts. The Tenth Annual Romannell Lecture on Philosophical Naturalism For the American Philosophical Association

World Congress XX

What is Behavior? A Philosophical Essay on Ethology and Indivualism in Psychology, Part One. "Recognitional Concept"

A More Plausible Kind of "Recognitional Concept"

The Green Grass Growing All Around. A Philosophical Essay on Ethology and Individualism in Psychology. Part II.

Reply to Boyd on "Historical Kinds and the '"Special Sciences'"

On Cognitive Luck: Externalism in an Evolutionary Frame.

What Has Natural Information to do with Intentional Representation?

Pushmi-Pullyu Representations.

Cutting Philosophy of Language Down to Size

On Swampkinds.

Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science. Mental Content: Theories of.

"Biosemantics" for the Oxford Handbook in the Philosophy of Mind. Brian McLaughlin, Editor.

The Father, the Son and the Daughter: Sellars, Brandom and Millikan

Useless Content

Handbook of Embeeded Cognition. Embedded Rationality.

Handbook of Philosophy of Psychology. Thoughts of Real Kinds.

For a complete listing of articles and books, please see my Curriculum Vitae.