Giorgio Sbardolini

Giorgio Sbardolini is an Assistant Professor in Philosophy of Logic and Language at the Institute for Logic, Language, and Computation (ILLC), University of Amsterdam. He holds a PhD in Philosophy from Ohio State University (2019, supervised by Stewart Shapiro) and an MA in Linguistics (2019, supervised by Craige Roberts). From 2019 to 2023, he was a postdoctoral researcher on the EXPRESS project at the ILLC, followed by an MSC Fellowship at the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy (2023).

• Education: PhD in Philosophy, Ohio State University; MA in Linguistics, Ohio State University
• Affiliations: ILLC (Amsterdam), MCMP (LMU Munich), University of Amsterdam

His research focuses on the evolutionary origins of logical connectives (e.g., 'not', 'and') and their role in human rationality and communication. Using interdisciplinary approaches from philosophy, linguistics, and evolutionary biology, he investigates how logical structures emerged as adaptive tools for information exchange. His work emphasizes the co-option of negation as a signaling mechanism to resolve social conflicts and improve cooperative communication.

The article The Evolution of Denial (2024) exemplifies his research. It explores how negation evolved from primitive communication strategies observed in primate interactions, balancing informativity and grammatical simplicity. Key themes include adaptationist theories, proto-negation markers (like Italian 'mica'), and the interplay between logic and social behavior.

Scientific Awards

• MSC Fellow, Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy (2023)

He contributes to public discourse through podcasts (e.g., The BJPS Short Reads) and outreach articles (e.g., The Reasoner). His work bridges formal logic, empirical linguistics, and evolutionary theory, addressing foundational questions about human cognition.