Dan Sperber
contemporaryCognitive Science, Philosophy of Language, Naturalistic Epistemologyb. 1942
Dan Sperber (born 1942) is a French cognitive and social scientist whose work bridges philosophy of language, cognitive science, and social anthropology. He is best known for co-developing Relevance Theory with Deirdre Wilson and for the Epidemiology of Representations, a naturalistic framework for explaining cultural transmission. More recently, with Hugo Mercier, he advanced the Argumentative Theory of Reasoning, proposing that human reasoning evolved primarily for social argumentation rather than individual belief formation.
Notable Achievements
1
Co-developed Relevance Theory with Deirdre Wilson, a landmark account of pragmatics and ostensive-inferential communication
2
Formulated the Epidemiology of Representations, explaining cultural transmission through cognitive and ecological factors
3
Co-authored the Argumentative Theory of Reasoning with Hugo Mercier, reframing reasoning as evolved for persuasion rather than truth-tracking
4
Pioneered naturalistic approaches to meaning, metarepresentation, and mutual knowledge
5
Contributed foundational work on chains of testimony and the social spread of beliefs