Jerry Fodor

Jerry Fodor (April 22, 1935 – November 29, 2017) was a philosopher. He mostly worked on the philosophy of mind and cognitive science, both of which are concerned with how the mind worked.

Jerry Alan Fodor
Jerry Fodor in 2007
Born	April 22, 1935 New York City, New York
Died	November 29, 2017(2017-11-29) (aged 82) New York City, New York
Era	20th / 21st-century philosophy
Region	Western Philosophy
School	Analytic
Main interests	Philosophy of mind Philosophy of language Cognitive science Rationalism · Cognitivism Functionalism
Notable ideas	Modularity of mind Language of thought
Influences Hilary Putnam · Sydney Morgenbesser · Jerome Bruner · Franz Joseph Gall · Noam Chomsky, David Hume
Influenced Ernest Lepore · Zenon Pylyshyn Georges Rey · Murat Aydede Steven Pinker · Dan Sperber Deirdre Wilson · Paul Churchland Alan M. Leslie

His studies have concerned themselves with the idea of whether thought is expressed in language or whether it is absurd to think so. Fodor also attempted to tie in the design of the brain to the thoughts held within. This is described by many as a return to the 19th century practice of phrenology, although Fodor offers more science to back his version up than phrenologists. It is these views which led other philosophers, such as Jared Cole and Daniel Dennett to describe Fodor's claims as absurd and out of date.

Fodor lived in Newark, New Jersey with his wife, Janet. He had two children and several cats. Outside philosophy he enjoyed opera and writes for the London Review of Books.

Fodor died in New York City of complications from Parkinson's disease on November 29, 2017 at the age of 82.^[1]