In his academic work in philosophy, Stanley is best known for his contributions to philosophy of language and epistemology,[3] which often draw upon and influence other fields, including linguistics and cognitive science. His work in epistemology has focused on the relationship between knowledge and action—arguing, for example that practical factors are relevant for knowledge (in his 2005 book Knowledge and Practical Interests), and that practical knowledge and theoretical knowledge cannot be separated (in influential work with Timothy Williamson as well as his 2011 book Know How; he has also co-authored in neuroscience[4] on these topics with John Krakauer).
Stanley has brought tools from philosophy of language and epistemology to bear on questions of political philosophy—for example, in his 2015 book How Propaganda Works. His 2023 book, The Politics of Language, co-authored with the linguist David Beaver, is a reconceptualization of the foundations of the theory of linguistic meaning to center non-informational aspects of speech.[5] A review from the journal Language[6] puts the central question of the book, "What if we placed the analysis of slurs at the center of the study of linguistic meaning? What sort of theory would result?"
Stanley has written seven books, including How Propaganda Works (2015)[12] and How Fascism Works (2018). Throughout his career, from the work collected in his 2007 book Language and Context, to his 2023 book The Politics of Language, he has bridged the disciplines of philosophy and linguistics. He has also contributed to epistemology. His books on political philosophy concern propaganda and fascism. Stanley's work in political philosophy often views contemporary politics and foreign affairs through the lens of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.[13] He has been interviewed by Vox,[14][15]NPR,[16]KCRW in Los Angeles,[17] and WBUR in Boston, and appears regularly on MSNBC and other networks.[18]
On March 28, 2025, Stanley accepted a position at the University of Toronto's Munk School in Canada. He stated that he left the United States because of what he perceived to be America's descent into a fascist dictatorship.[1][2] "I'll be in a much better position to fight bullies," he said.[19]
Personal life
Both of Stanley's parents immigrated to the United States from Europe—his father from Germany in 1939, and his mother from Poland in 1948; his mother and aunt are the only survivors of the Holocaust of their generation in their family.[20] He grew up in upstate New York. He is the grandson of Ilse Stanley, who secured the release of 412 people from Nazi concentration camps between 1936 and 1938; he is also the great-grandson of the Berlin cantor Magnus Davidsohn. Stanley describes his Jewish background as informing his writing on fascism: "To me, my Judaism means an obligation to pay attention to equality and the rights of minority groups."[7]
Stanley is divorced from cardiologist Njeri K. Thande,[21] with whom he has two sons. In 2025, both Stanley and Thande chose to move to Canada. Stanley said, "We are leaving for our kids primarily so they can grow up under conditions of freedom."[21] Stanley likened his departure for Canada to leaving Germany in 1932, 1933, and 1934. "I don't see it as fleeing at all," he said. "I see it as joining Canada, which is a target of Trump, just like Yale is a target of Trump." He told the Daily Nous, a professional philosophy website, that he decided "to raise my kids in a country that is not tilting towards a fascist dictatorship".[2]
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