Kenneth Black
@kennethblack.bsky.social
PhD candidate at MIT philosophy, doing philosophy of mind, language, and cog sci; also some phil sci and metaphysics. (he/him)
kennethblackphi.com
kennethblackphi.com
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Kenneth Black
@kennethblack.bsky.social
· Jul 17
Kenneth Black, Common Ground, Conditionals, and _Ceteris Paribus_ Pragmatics - PhilArchive
In conversation, we make use of shared information in order to communicate. But what shared information? In theorising about conversation, it’s popular to allot a privileged position to a single body ...
philarchive.org
Pleased to announce that my paper, “Common Ground, Conditionals, and Ceteris Paribus Pragmatics,” is forthcoming in the Australasian Journal of Philosophy! 🧵
Reposted by Kenneth Black
the hardest part about studying how kids learn language is that they know but won’t tell us
January 4, 2026 at 12:25 AM
the hardest part about studying how kids learn language is that they know but won’t tell us
*frowning at the philosophy shelf at the used book store*
How are people supposed to find wisdom without analytic philosophy
How are people supposed to find wisdom without analytic philosophy
December 31, 2025 at 7:21 PM
*frowning at the philosophy shelf at the used book store*
How are people supposed to find wisdom without analytic philosophy
How are people supposed to find wisdom without analytic philosophy
Two bald eagles sharing a kill on the ice this morning. One of the coolest bird-related moments of my life (which is to say, one of the coolest moments of my life)
December 26, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Two bald eagles sharing a kill on the ice this morning. One of the coolest bird-related moments of my life (which is to say, one of the coolest moments of my life)
‘Tis the season
i could write a whole metaphysics paper about whether the hot melted goose fat is in fact eggnog, but i'll spare you
December 17, 2025 at 12:30 AM
‘Tis the season
The word “Pickwickian” was apparently pretty popular in ~90s philosophy of mind and I would like to see a comeback
December 13, 2025 at 5:48 PM
The word “Pickwickian” was apparently pretty popular in ~90s philosophy of mind and I would like to see a comeback
“You will be haunted by three spirits”
December 13, 2025 at 1:53 PM
“You will be haunted by three spirits”
This holiday season, give your philosopher friends the gift of a devastating counterexample
December 12, 2025 at 2:02 PM
This holiday season, give your philosopher friends the gift of a devastating counterexample
Random thigh pain today but immediately knew what it wasn’t; reading analytic philosophy of mind really pays off sometimes
December 6, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Random thigh pain today but immediately knew what it wasn’t; reading analytic philosophy of mind really pays off sometimes
Protect your tables, metaphysicians
Analog clocks are basically a thing of the past. No one uses coins anymore. If Ford stops making cars, epistemology will be over.
December 5, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Protect your tables, metaphysicians
Two-boxers, you know what to do
December 5, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Two-boxers, you know what to do
“I asked ChatGPT”
Oh yeah? Well I asked an analytic philosopher and they said
Oh yeah? Well I asked an analytic philosopher and they said
November 25, 2025 at 3:54 PM
“I asked ChatGPT”
Oh yeah? Well I asked an analytic philosopher and they said
Oh yeah? Well I asked an analytic philosopher and they said
Who needs NDPR when we can have influencer reviews
Shamelessly nicked from Kris McDaniel over on Facebook: the book review that will make your weekend.
Watch Honest Review of Perspectives on Pragmatism Book on Amazon Live
Dive into the world of pragmatism with The Munro’s! Discover why this book's unique perspective, from classical to contemporary, is a must-read for curious minds and project seekers.
www.amazon.com
November 22, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Who needs NDPR when we can have influencer reviews
Reposted by Kenneth Black
Stephen Yablo is subscriber only content
November 22, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Stephen Yablo is subscriber only content
Reposted by Kenneth Black
Big day for semantic externalists, eBird have dropped their new taxonomy! That feeling in the back of your throat was the bird words you knew receiving new referents: ebird.org/news/2025-ta...
2025 Taxonomy Update—COMPLETE - eBird
The 2025 eBird Taxonomy Update will begin on 28 October and big changes are already underway as we prepare the eBird database for this year's revisions. Follow this page for updates throughout the pro...
ebird.org
November 17, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Big day for semantic externalists, eBird have dropped their new taxonomy! That feeling in the back of your throat was the bird words you knew receiving new referents: ebird.org/news/2025-ta...
Anyone have a sense of why some people use “belief fixation” and others use “belief formation” to refer to what is apparently the same thing?
November 10, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Anyone have a sense of why some people use “belief fixation” and others use “belief formation” to refer to what is apparently the same thing?
I bet Leibniz would have eaten up that sponsorship
I wonder how extreme a philosophical position would have to be for you to get a Red Bull sponsorship to defend it.
November 9, 2025 at 10:29 PM
I bet Leibniz would have eaten up that sponsorship
Question for representational format people:
Greenberg’s (2023) way of making the iconic/symbolic distinction, as consisting in the different rules which state the semantic contents of signs, seems pretty popular. And it’s pretty neat.
(1/8)
Greenberg’s (2023) way of making the iconic/symbolic distinction, as consisting in the different rules which state the semantic contents of signs, seems pretty popular. And it’s pretty neat.
(1/8)
November 5, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Question for representational format people:
Greenberg’s (2023) way of making the iconic/symbolic distinction, as consisting in the different rules which state the semantic contents of signs, seems pretty popular. And it’s pretty neat.
(1/8)
Greenberg’s (2023) way of making the iconic/symbolic distinction, as consisting in the different rules which state the semantic contents of signs, seems pretty popular. And it’s pretty neat.
(1/8)
Famously we’re all just reply guys to Plato, so it works out okay
I’m a reply guy. In the social media sense, sure, but much more in the sense that all of my papers are just responses to other, smarter, more famous people.
November 3, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Famously we’re all just reply guys to Plato, so it works out okay
“Problem papers” in analytic philosophy
I've seen your solutions, and I think I'll stick with the problems thank you
November 1, 2025 at 11:00 AM
“Problem papers” in analytic philosophy
Conversation between students in my class today (we were discussing Nagel/Anscombe on the self)
“Do you think you’re [name]?”
- “No, I don’t even think I exist!”
“That’s rough, buddy”
“Do you think you’re [name]?”
- “No, I don’t even think I exist!”
“That’s rough, buddy”
October 31, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Conversation between students in my class today (we were discussing Nagel/Anscombe on the self)
“Do you think you’re [name]?”
- “No, I don’t even think I exist!”
“That’s rough, buddy”
“Do you think you’re [name]?”
- “No, I don’t even think I exist!”
“That’s rough, buddy”
One of my favorite papers from the past few years
Just published:
Devin Sanchez Curry, (2025) “On IQ and other Sciencey Descriptions of Minds”, Philosophers' Imprint 25: 28. doi: doi.org/10.3998/phim...
Devin Sanchez Curry, (2025) “On IQ and other Sciencey Descriptions of Minds”, Philosophers' Imprint 25: 28. doi: doi.org/10.3998/phim...
On IQ and other Sciencey Descriptions of Minds
Philosophers of mind (from eliminative materialists to psychofunctionalists to interpretivists) generally assume that a normative ideal delimits which mental phenomena exist (though they disagree abou...
doi.org
October 29, 2025 at 11:35 AM
One of my favorite papers from the past few years
Trying to convince students that Moore’s proof of the external world is brilliant
"I am sitting with a philosopher in the garden: he says again and again ‘I know that that’s a tree’, pointing to a tree that is near us. Someone else arrives and hears this, and I tell him: ‘This fellow isn’t insane. We are only doing philosophy’." (OC §467)
October 29, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Trying to convince students that Moore’s proof of the external world is brilliant
Reposted by Kenneth Black
Philosophy blog idea: Guest posts discussing why a "real world" example from some corner of philosophy is actually false or misleading and why it matters to the respective debates.
October 28, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Philosophy blog idea: Guest posts discussing why a "real world" example from some corner of philosophy is actually false or misleading and why it matters to the respective debates.
Reposted by Kenneth Black
My phenomenal self might be subject to the rule according to which everything that happens in it proceeds from a cause but my noumenal self is just built different.
October 25, 2025 at 10:39 PM
My phenomenal self might be subject to the rule according to which everything that happens in it proceeds from a cause but my noumenal self is just built different.