b. 1946
Alex Rosenberg (born 1946) is an American philosopher of science at Duke University, known for his staunch scientific naturalism and eliminative materialism. He has made foundational contributions to philosophy of biology, arguing that Darwinian natural selection reshapes our understanding of intentionality, cognition, and the status of scientific theories themselves. His work challenges folk psychology and defends a thoroughgoing physicalism grounded in the explanatory primacy of physics.
Developed a deflationary account of the cognitive and semantic status of natural selection theory
Argued for eliminative materialism about folk psychology and intentional content
Authored foundational works in philosophy of biology, including 'The Structure of Biological Science' (1985)
Defended scientism as a coherent philosophical position in 'The Atheist's Guide to Reality' (2011)
Contributed to debates on reductionism and the unity of science via Darwinian naturalism