Keith Donnellan | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 25, 1931 |
| Died | February 20, 2015 (aged 83) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Cornell University |
| Notable work | "Reference and Definite Descriptions", "Proper Names and Identifying Descriptions", "Speaking of Nothing" |
| Era | Contemporary philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Analytic philosophy |
| Institutions | UCLA |
Main interests | Philosophy of language |
Notable ideas | Causal-historical theory of reference[1] The "referential" and "attributive use" distinction |
Keith Sedgwick Donnellan (/ˈdɒnələn/; June 25, 1931[2] – February 20, 2015) was an American philosopher and professor of philosophy (later professor emeritus) at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Donnellan contributed to the philosophy of language, notably to the analysis of proper names and definite descriptions. He criticized Bertrand Russell's theory of definite descriptions for overlooking the distinction between referential and attributive use of definite descriptions.[3][4]
Donnellan spent most of his career at UCLA,[5] having also previously taught at the university where he had earned his PhD, Cornell University.