Josh Armstrong

Josh Armstrong is an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of California, Los Angeles. He received his Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 2013 and has established himself as a significant contributor to multiple areas of philosophy.

His research spans across animal communication, philosophy of biology, philosophy of language, environmental philosophy, animal cognition, evolutionary biology, philosophy of cognitive science, climate change, philosophy of linguistics, and philosophy of mind. Armstrong's work is characterized by its interdisciplinary nature, bridging traditional philosophical inquiry with empirical research from cognitive science and biology.

Armstrong's publications reveal a consistent focus on the evolutionary foundations of communication and language. His recent work examines how language and mind evolved from social dependence, with particular attention to common ground in communication, the pragmatics of non-human animal communication, and the philosophical implications of climate change adaptation. His research shows a trajectory from more traditional philosophy of language topics toward increasingly interdisciplinary work connecting philosophy with evolutionary biology and environmental science.

• 2025: The Evolutionary Foundations of Common Ground
• 2024: Language as Skill, Truth and imprecision, Meanings Without Species
• 2023: Climate Change Adaptation and the Back of the Invisible Hand, Communication before communicative intentions

Armstrong's research demonstrates a consistent interest in understanding language and communication through evolutionary and pragmatic lenses, with recent work expanding into climate change adaptation and environmental philosophy. His approach challenges traditional boundaries between philosophy of language, philosophy of biology, and environmental ethics, creating a distinctive interdisciplinary perspective.