Dr. Olivia Sultanescu

Affiliate Assistant Professor, Philosophy
Part-time Faculty, Philosophy

Research areas: Philosophy of language, Philosophy of mind, Donald Davidson

Contact information

Email:

olivia.sultanescu@concordia.ca

Availability:

My office hours during the Winter term are Monday and Wednesday from 4:15 pm to 5:15 pm.

Websites:

https://www.oliviasultanescu.xyz
https://philpeople.org/profiles/olivia-sultanescu

Biography

PhD, Philosophy, York University

MA, Philosophy, York University

BA, Philosophy, University of Bucharest

Research activities

My work is on foundational topics in the philosophy of language and mind, such as the constitution of meaning and content, the character of linguistic agency, and the normativity and objectivity distinctive of language and thought. I am also interested in broader questions regarding our nature as beings whose thinking and acting are governed by the appreciation of reasons. I am especially concerned with the way in which the later work of Donald Davidson bears on these topics. More detail about my research is available here.

Publications

Selected journal articles

“Meaning, Rationality, and Guidance.” The Philosophical Quarterly 73 (1): 227–47

“Meaning Scepticism and Primitive Normativity.” Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 102 (2): 357–76.

“Davidson’s Answer to Kripke’s Sceptic.” Co-authored with Claudine Verheggen. The Journal for the History of Analytic Philosophy vol 7 (2): 8-28.

Selected book chapters

“Finite Thinkers.” Invited contribution to Introducing Philosophy of Mind, Today, edited by Devin Sanchez Curry and Louise Daoust. Under contract with Routledge.

“How not to Brush Questions under the Rug.” In Kripke’s Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language at 40, edited by Claudine Verheggen. Cambridge University Press.

“Meaning, Evidence, and Objectivity.” In Donald Davidson on Action, Mind and Value, edited by Syraya Chin-mu Yang and Robert Myers. Springer (Logic in Asia: Studia Logica Library).

Encyclopedia entries

“Rule-Following and Intentionality.” Co-authored with Alex Miller. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2022 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.),
https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2022/entries/rule-following/