Sam Berstler
Biographic Data
| ID | 1121760 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sam Berstler |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sam |
| FAMILY NAME | Berstler |
| SIGNATURE | BERSTLER S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1423-0478 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 5 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 0 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 5 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2022 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 0 |
The Structure of Open Secrets
In conversation, we often do not acknowledge what we jointly know to be true. Open secrecy norms iterate: when p is an open secret, then there’s a norm not to acknowledge that p, and this norm is itself an open secret. When interlocutors are conforming to open secrecy norms, they rely on at least two disjoint common grounds, one of which has a privileged status. To understand why and how it is privileged, the author develops Erving Goffman’s noti…
Talking about Talking About
How do we unpuzzle the theory of reference? The ancient Babylonians wrongly believed that Hesperus was not Phosphorus. When they intended to refer to Hesperus, were they also referring to Phosphoru
The Grice Is Right
H. P. Grice seemed to rest his theory of conversational implicature on the assumption that speakers aim to cooperatively exchange information with each other. In the real world, speakers often don't. Does one of the most influential theories in 20th‐century philosophy of language rest on a mistake? Yes—but not in the way that philosophers have thought. I argue that Grice should have rested his theory on a different assumption: that speakers aim t…
Bad Question
Individuals...exude expressions.1 Performers can stop giving expressions but cannot stop giving them off.2 Defense attorney Mickey Haller (and protagonist of the fictional series Lincoln Lawyer) has his witness exactly where he wants him.3 Anton Shavar isn't on trial. But Haller wants to insinuate that Shavar committed the murders that Haller's client stands accused of committing. First, he needs to insinuate that Shavar knows how to orchestrate …
Conversational Pressure
No prominent works on this page.
Conversational Pressure
Bad Question
Individuals...exude expressions.1 Performers can stop giving expressions but cannot stop giving them off.2 Defense attorney Mickey Haller (and protagonist of the fictional series Lincoln Lawyer) has his witness exactly where he wants him.3 Anton Shavar isn't on trial. But Haller wants to insinuate that Shavar committed the murders that Haller's client stands accused of committing. First, he needs to insinuate that Shavar knows how to orchestrate …
Talking about Talking About
How do we unpuzzle the theory of reference? The ancient Babylonians wrongly believed that Hesperus was not Phosphorus. When they intended to refer to Hesperus, were they also referring to Phosphoru
The Grice Is Right
H. P. Grice seemed to rest his theory of conversational implicature on the assumption that speakers aim to cooperatively exchange information with each other. In the real world, speakers often don't. Does one of the most influential theories in 20th‐century philosophy of language rest on a mistake? Yes—but not in the way that philosophers have thought. I argue that Grice should have rested his theory on a different assumption: that speakers aim t…
The Structure of Open Secrets
In conversation, we often do not acknowledge what we jointly know to be true. Open secrecy norms iterate: when p is an open secret, then there’s a norm not to acknowledge that p, and this norm is itself an open secret. When interlocutors are conforming to open secrecy norms, they rely on at least two disjoint common grounds, one of which has a privileged status. To understand why and how it is privileged, the author develops Erving Goffman’s noti…
Philosophy (4 works) · Epistemology (2 works) · Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics (2 works) · Linguistics (2 works) · Philosophy (2 works) · Academic Writing and Publishing (1 work) · Ancient Egypt and Archaeology (1 work) · Computer Science (1 work) · Contemporary philosophy (1 work) · Conversation (1 work)