Fred Dretske

Frederick Irwin Dretske ( born December 9, 1932 in Waukegan, Illinois, † July 24, 2013 ) was an American philosopher who taught at Duke University in North Carolina. His main areas of research are epistemology and the philosophy of mind.

Dretske was known in particular for his analysis of the concept of information. This analysis will allow, among other things, a reductive explanation of the intentional content of mental states. Trying to capture intentionality reductively here is part of Dretske general program of the " naturalization of the mind". The goal of this program is to describe the mind as an unproblematic biological phenomenon. To achieve this goal, not only the intentionality must be explained. There is also an explanation for experience levels ( qualia ) and self-confidence necessary. Dretske said such statements by means of the concept of representation to be able to deliver.

Honors

In 1994 he was awarded the Jean Nicod Prize.