I am a philosopher of mind, language, and psychology. I'm interested in human and animal minds, they ways in which different species communicate, and in philosophical and empirical issues connected to human evolution and human nature. I am a UKRI Future Leaders FellowLink opens in a new window. My Communicative MindLink opens in a new window research group investigates two related questions about the nature and origins of human cognition: (1) Why are humans the only species to invent and acquire natural languages? (2) How does natural language change human cognition?

I joined the Department of Philosophy at the University of Warwick in February 2020. I was previously a a Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter at the Berlin School of Mind and BrainLink opens in a new window, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2013-2019) and a post-doctoral researcher in Mike TomaselloLink opens in a new window's Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology at the MPI-EVALink opens in a new window in Leipzig (2009-2013). I have also been a visiting researcher at the Australian National University (2017, 2018, 2019, 2022) and at the Fachhochschule Potsdam (2019). I completed my PhD at Warwick (2005-2009) under the supervision of Michael LuntleyLink opens in a new window, Susan HurleyLink opens in a new window, and Steve ButterfillLink opens in a new window.

In addition to being an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy, I am also Director of Warwick's EPP (Economics, Psychology and Philosophy) BA/BSc degree course. Along with Bart Geurts I organise the monthly online forum for Evolutionary Pragmatics.

Selected Publications

• Geurts B, Moore R (Eds.) (In press) Evolutionary Pragmatics. Oxford University Press.
• Moore R, Tennie C (In press) Know-how copying is fundamental to human culture. A response to Kim Sterelny's 'Cultural evolution, niche construction, and ecological inheritance. BJPS Letters to the Editors.
• Moore R, Palazzolo G (2024) Animal communicationLink opens in a new window. In Zalta & Nodelman (Eds.) The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
• Graham K, Rossano F, Moore R (2024) The origin of great ape gestural forms. Biological Reviews, https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13136.
  • Coverage in Carl Zimmer's Origins column in the New York Times:
    https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/06/science/chimpanzee-gestures-language.htmlLink opens in a new window
• Moore, R (2024) 'Gricean' and 'Ladyginian' communication: A distinction in search of a difference. PsyArXiv, 10.31234/osf.io/mab5e.
• Berio L, Moore R (2023) Great ape enculturation studies: A neglected resource in cognitive development research. Biology and Philosophy, 38(17).
• Moore R, Brown, R (2022) Social inheritance and the social mind: Introduction to the Synthese topical collection on The Cultural Evolution of Human Social Cognition. Synthese, 200(3), 1-17.
• Kachel G, Moore R, Hepach R, Tomasello M (2021) Toddlers prefer adults as informants: Two- and three-year-olds’ use of and attention to pointing gestures from peer and adult partners. Child Development.
• Moore R (2021) The cultural evolution of mind-modelling. Synthese, 199(1): 1751-1776.
• Moore R (2018b) Gricean communication, language development, and animal minds. Philosophy Compass, 13(12), e12550.
• Moore R (2018a) Gricean communication, joint action, and the evolution of cooperation. Topoi, 37(2), 329–341.
• Kachel G, Moore R, Tomasello M (2018) Two-year-olds use adults’ but not peers’ points. Developmental Science, 21(5), e12660.
• Kano F, Moore R, Krupenye C, Tomonaga M, Hirata S, Call J (2018) Great apes search for longer following humans’ ostensive signals, but do not then follow their gaze. Animal Cognition, 21(5), 715-728.
• Moore R (2017c) Social cognition, Stag Hunts, and the evolution of language. Biology and Philosophy. 32(6): 797–818.
• Moore R (2017b) Convergent minds: Ostension, inference and Grice’s third clause. Interface Focus, 7: 20160107.
• Moore R (2017a) Gricean communication and cognitive development. Philosophical Quarterly, 67(267): 303-326.
• Moore R (2016) Meaning and ostension in great ape gestural communication. Animal Cognition, 19(1): 223-231.
• Moore R, Call J, Tomasello M (2015) Production and comprehension of gestures between orang-utans (Pongo pygmaeus) in a referential communication game. PLoS ONE, 10(6): e0129726.
• Moore R, Mueller B, Kaminski J, Tomasello M (2015) Two-year-old children but not domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) understand communicative intentions without language, gestures, or gaze. Developmental Science, 18(2): 232-42.
• Moore R (2014) Ape gestures: Interpreting chimpanzee and bonobo minds. Current Biology, 24(14): R645-R647.

• Moore R (2013b) Social learning and teaching in chimpanzees. Biology and Philosophy, 28(6): 879-901.

• Moore R (2013a) Imitation and conventional communication. Biology and Philosophy, 28(3): 481-500.

More complete lists of my publications can be found here and here.

Email

richard.moore@warwick.ac.ukLink opens in a new window

Office

S2.51

Meetings by appointment.