Paul Saka is an American scholar known for his multi-disciplinary work. He is a professor of philosophy at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Associate Editor for the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
With one PhD in linguistics and another PhD in philosophy, his two dissertations argue against truth-conditional semantics and for a mentalist theory of meaning. The negative part of his program has been sharpened by his “argument from ignorance”.“The Argument from Ignorance against Truth-Conditional Semantics.” American Philosophical Quarterly 44.2: 157-70 (2007) The positive part of his program includes a pioneering contribution on the semantics of pejorative language,How to Think about Meaning, ch. 5. Springer (2007). plus work on ambiguity,How to Think about Meaning, ch. 6. Springer (2007). the liar paradox,How to Think about Meaning, ch. 8. Springer (2007). the problem of opacity,"Superman Semantics." In , Springer (2016). and quotation and the use-mention distinction.“Quotation and the Use-Mention Distinction.” Mind 107.425: 113-35 (1998). “The Demonstrative and Identity Theories of Quotation.” Journal of Philosophy 103.9: 452-71 (2006). “Quotation.” Philosophy Compass 8.10: 935-49 (2013). “Blah, blah, blah: Quasi-Quotation and Unquotation.” In The Semantics and Pragmatics of Quotation, pp. 35-64, edited by Paul Saka & Michael Johnson. Springer (2017).
Books How to Think about Meaning, Springer (2007).
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