Eric Swanson

I’m a professor of philosophy and (by courtesy) linguistics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. I’m currently working on a few interrelated papers on language and normativity. One extends semantic theories for normative modals like ‘must,’ ‘ought,’ and ‘may,’ paying special attention to indeterminacy and incomparability. Another generalizes and refines Joseph Raz’s distinction between committed, detached, and external utterances, developing a rigorous empirical theory that helps explain their behavior. A third paper argues that what I call considerations play crucial semantic and pragmatic roles in linguistic communication. I also have some nascent projects in the philosophy of artificial intelligence and the ethics of love.

Talks · Publications · Teaching · Family · My cv · Email me

Recent or upcoming talks

“Austin, Ross, and Montague Walk Into a Bar:
A Compositional, Normativist Theory of Semantic Considerations”
Guest speaker at a seminar taught by Ray Buchanan and Josh Dever
University of Texas, Austin, January 2027

“Loving Well Through Skillfully Engaging with a Subjective Perspective”
Lakeside Ethics Workshop, September 2026

“Pro Tanto Commitments in Natural Language”
Wayne State University Philosophy and Linguistics, December 2025

“Four Kinds of Normative Tension and the Semantics of Modals”
PhLiP (Philosophical Linguistics and Linguistical Philosophy), October 2025

“AI Ethics, Commitment Positioning, and Embodiment”
Sight Machine, Ann Arbor / San Francisco, May 2025

“Non-Ideal Philosophy of Language and the Space of Pro Tanto Reasons”
The Non-Ideal Philosophy of Language Workshop, Boston University, October 2024

Publications

“Channels for Common Ground”
Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, vol. 104, no. 1 (2022): 171–185.

BibTeX

@article{swanson2022channels,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {Channels for Common Ground},
  journal = {Philosophy and Phenomenological Research},
  volume = {104},
  number = {1},
  pages = {171--185},
  year = {2022},
  doi = {10.1111/phpr.12741}
}

DOI

“Language and Ideology”
In Justin Khoo and Rachel Sterken (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Social and Political Philosophy of Language. London: Routledge, 2021.

BibTeX

@incollection{swanson2021language,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {Language and Ideology},
  booktitle = {The Routledge Handbook of Social and Political Philosophy of Language},
  editor = {Justin Khoo and Rachel Sterken},
  publisher = {Routledge},
  year = {2021},
  doi = {10.4324/9781003164869-25}
}

DOI

“Omissive Implicature”
Philosophical Topics, vol. 45, no. 2 (2017): 117–137.

BibTeX

@article{swanson2017omissive,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {Omissive Implicature},
  journal = {Philosophical Topics},
  volume = {45},
  number = {2},
  pages = {117--137},
  year = {2017},
  doi = {10.5840/philtopics201745216}
}

DOI

Critical notice of Jason Stanley’s How Propaganda Works
Mind, vol. 126, no. 503 (2017): 937–947.

BibTeX

@article{swanson2017critical,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {Critical Notice of Jason Stanley's \textit{How Propaganda Works}},
  journal = {Mind},
  volume = {126},
  number = {503},
  pages = {937--947},
  year = {2017},
  doi = {10.1093/mind/fzw045}
}

DOI

“Indeterminacy in Causation”
Philosophical Quarterly, vol. 67, no. 268 (2017): 606–624.

BibTeX

@article{swanson2017indeterminacy,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {Indeterminacy in Causation},
  journal = {Philosophical Quarterly},
  volume = {67},
  number = {268},
  pages = {606--624},
  year = {2017},
  doi = {10.1093/pq/pqw068}
}

DOI

“Probability in Philosophy of Language”
In Alan Hájek and Chris Hitchcock (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Probability and Philosophy, 772–788. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.

BibTeX

@incollection{swanson2016probability,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {Probability in Philosophy of Language},
  booktitle = {The Oxford Handbook of Probability and Philosophy},
  editor = {Alan H{\'a}jek and Chris Hitchcock},
  publisher = {Oxford University Press},
  pages = {772--788},
  year = {2016},
  doi = {10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199607617.013.39}
}

DOI

“Slurs and Ideologies”
Presented at the Yale Ideology Conference, 29 January 2016.
Slightly shortened version forthcoming in Analyzing Ideology. Robin Celikates, Sally Haslanger, and Jason Stanley, editors. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

BibTeX

@incollection{swansonforthcomingslurs,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {Slurs and Ideologies},
  booktitle = {Analyzing Ideology: Rethinking the Concept},
  editor = {Robin Celikates and Sally Haslanger and Jason Stanley},
  publisher = {Oxford University Press},
  note = {Forthcoming}
}

“The Application of Constraint Semantics to the Language of Subjective Uncertainty”
Journal of Philosophical Logic, vol. 45, no. 2 (2016): 121–146.

BibTeX

@article{swanson2016application,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {The Application of Constraint Semantics to the Language of Subjective Uncertainty},
  journal = {Journal of Philosophical Logic},
  volume = {45},
  number = {2},
  pages = {121--146},
  year = {2016},
  doi = {10.1007/s10992-015-9367-5}
}

DOI

“Ordering Supervaluationism, Counterpart Theory, and Ersatz Fundamentality”
Journal of Philosophy, vol. 111, no. 6 (2014): 289–310.

BibTeX

@article{swanson2014ordering,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {Ordering Supervaluationism, Counterpart Theory, and Ersatz Fundamentality},
  journal = {Journal of Philosophy},
  volume = {111},
  number = {6},
  pages = {289--310},
  year = {2014},
  doi = {10.5840/jphil2014111616}
}

DOI

“Subjunctive Biscuit and Stand-Off Conditionals”
Philosophical Studies, vol. 163, no. 3 (2013): 637–648.

BibTeX

@article{swanson2013subjunctive,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {Subjunctive Biscuit and Stand-Off Conditionals},
  journal = {Philosophical Studies},
  volume = {163},
  number = {3},
  pages = {637--648},
  year = {2013},
  doi = {10.1007/s11098-011-9836-9}
}

DOI

“Conditional Excluded Middle without the Limit Assumption”
Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, vol. 85, no. 2 (2012): 301–321.

BibTeX

@article{swanson2012conditional,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {Conditional Excluded Middle without the Limit Assumption},
  journal = {Philosophy and Phenomenological Research},
  volume = {85},
  number = {2},
  pages = {301--321},
  year = {2012},
  doi = {10.1111/j.1933-1592.2011.00507.x}
}

DOI

“The Language of Causation”
In Delia Graff Fara and Gillian Russell (eds.), The Routledge Companion to the Philosophy of Language, 716–728. London: Routledge, 2012.

BibTeX

@incollection{swanson2012language,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {The Language of Causation},
  booktitle = {The Routledge Companion to the Philosophy of Language},
  editor = {Delia Graff Fara and Gillian Russell},
  publisher = {Routledge},
  pages = {716--728},
  year = {2012},
  doi = {10.4324/9780203206966.ch6_3_1}
}

DOI

“Propositional Attitudes”
In Claudia Maienborn, Klaus von Heusinger, and Paul Portner (eds.), Semantics: An International Handbook of Natural Language Meaning, vol. 2, 1538–1561. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 2012.

BibTeX

@incollection{swanson2012propositional,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {Propositional Attitudes},
  booktitle = {Semantics: An International Handbook of Natural Language Meaning},
  editor = {Claudia Maienborn and Klaus von Heusinger and Paul Portner},
  publisher = {Mouton de Gruyter},
  volume = {2},
  pages = {1538--1561},
  year = {2012},
  doi = {10.1515/9783110255072.1538}
}

DOI

“On the Treatment of Incomparability in Ordering Semantics and Premise Semantics”
Journal of Philosophical Logic, vol. 40, no. 6 (2011): 693–713.

BibTeX

@article{swanson2011treatment,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {On the Treatment of Incomparability in Ordering Semantics and Premise Semantics},
  journal = {Journal of Philosophical Logic},
  volume = {40},
  number = {6},
  pages = {693--713},
  year = {2011},
  doi = {10.1007/s10992-010-9157-z}
}

DOI

“How Not to Theorize about the Language of Subjective Uncertainty”
In Andy Egan and Brian Weatherson (eds.), Epistemic Modality, 249–269. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.

BibTeX

@incollection{swanson2011how,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {How Not to Theorize about the Language of Subjective Uncertainty},
  booktitle = {Epistemic Modality},
  editor = {Andy Egan and Brian Weatherson},
  publisher = {Oxford University Press},
  pages = {249--269},
  year = {2011},
  doi = {10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199591596.003.0009}
}

DOI

“Lessons from the Context Sensitivity of Causal Talk”
Journal of Philosophy, vol. 107, no. 5 (2010): 221–242.

BibTeX

@article{swanson2010lessons,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {Lessons from the Context Sensitivity of Causal Talk},
  journal = {Journal of Philosophy},
  volume = {107},
  number = {5},
  pages = {221--242},
  year = {2010},
  doi = {10.5840/jphil2010107517}
}

DOI

“Structurally Defined Alternatives and Lexicalizations of XOR”
Linguistics and Philosophy, vol. 33, no. 1 (2010): 31–36.

BibTeX

@article{swanson2010structurally,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {Structurally Defined Alternatives and Lexicalizations of XOR},
  journal = {Linguistics and Philosophy},
  volume = {33},
  number = {1},
  pages = {31--36},
  year = {2010},
  doi = {10.1007/s10988-010-9074-1}
}

DOI

“On Scope Relations between Quantifiers and Epistemic Modals”
Journal of Semantics, vol. 27, no. 4 (2010): 529–540.

BibTeX

@article{swanson2010scope,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {On Scope Relations between Quantifiers and Epistemic Modals},
  journal = {Journal of Semantics},
  volume = {27},
  number = {4},
  pages = {529--540},
  year = {2010},
  doi = {10.1093/jos/ffq010}
}

DOI

Review of Reflections on Meaning, by Paul Horwich
Philosophical Review, vol. 118, no. 1 (2009): 131–134.

BibTeX

@article{swanson2009review,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {Review of \textit{Reflections on Meaning}, by Paul Horwich},
  journal = {Philosophical Review},
  volume = {118},
  number = {1},
  pages = {131--134},
  year = {2009},
  doi = {10.1215/00318108-2008-037}
}

DOI

“Modality in Language”
Philosophy Compass, vol. 3, no. 6 (2008): 1193–1207.
I’ve changed my mind about some things discussed in this article. On weak modals, and on the limit assumption, see “On the Treatment of Incomparability in Ordering Semantics and Premise Semantics”; on force, drop me an email.

BibTeX

@article{swanson2008modality,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {Modality in Language},
  journal = {Philosophy Compass},
  volume = {3},
  number = {6},
  pages = {1193--1207},
  year = {2008},
  doi = {10.1111/j.1747-9991.2008.00177.x}
}

DOI

“A Note on Gibbard's ‘Rational Credence and the Value of Truth’”
Oxford Studies in Epistemology, vol. 2 (2007): 179–189.

BibTeX

@article{swanson2007note,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {A Note on Gibbard's 'Rational Credence and the Value of Truth'},
  journal = {Oxford Studies in Epistemology},
  editor = {Tamar Szab{\'o} Gendler and John Hawthorne},
  volume = {2},
  pages = {179--189},
  year = {2007},
  doi = {10.1093/oso/9780199237067.003.0008}
}

DOI

“Biscuit Conditionals and Common Ground”
Second North American Summer School in Logic, Language, and Information Student Session Proceedings (2003): 26–34.

BibTeX

@inproceedings{swanson2003biscuit,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {Biscuit Conditionals and Common Ground},
  booktitle = {Second North American Summer School in Logic, Language, and Information Student Session Proceedings},
  pages = {26--34},
  year = {2003}
}

Older or superseded work

“Imperative Force in the English Modal System” (handout)
Presented at the 2012 Michigan Workshop in Philosophy and Linguistics.

“Constraint Semantics and the Language of Subjective Uncertainty” (handout and slides)
Presented at the Chambers Philosophy Conference on Epistemic Modals at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2010.

“Constraint Semantics and its Application to Conditionals” (handout and slides)
Presented at the First Formal Epistemology Festival, 2008.

Interactions with Context
My dissertation (2006).

BibTeX

@phdthesis{swanson2006interactions,
  author = {Eric Swanson},
  title = {Interactions with Context},
  school = {Massachusetts Institute of Technology},
  year = {2006}
}

“Pronouns and Complex Demonstratives”

My publications are also indexed on PhilPapers and ORCID. If you would like a paper of mine that isn’t here please just email me.