David Lewis: podcast appearances and interviews

David Kellogg Lewis (September 28, 1941 – October 14, 2001) was an American philosopher known for his substantial contributions across various domains including philosophy of mind, philosophy of probability, epistemology, philosophical logic, aesthetics, philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of time, and philosophy of science. He taught briefly at UCLA before joining Princeton University in 1970, where he remained until his death. Lewis is particularly recognized for his work in metaphysics, philosophy of language, and semantics. His books On the Plurality of Worlds and Counterfactuals are regarded as seminal texts in these fields. Lewis's research on the logic and semantics of counterfactual conditionals has significantly influenced philosophical and linguistic thought, especially through the development of the Stalnaker–Lewis theory of counterfactuals. His metaphysical theories include notable contributions to quantified modal logic, the development of counterpart theory, and concepts such as counterfactual causation and Humean supervenience. In On the Plurality of Worlds, Lewis advocated for modal realism, the view that possible worlds are concrete entities and that our actual world is just one among many equally real possible worlds. Despite his American academic career, Lewis maintained a strong connection to Australia, visiting its philosophical community almost annually for more than three decades.