hiː ˈɜːnd hɪz pˌiːˈeɪtʃ.dˈiː. fɹʌmðə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌv pˈɪtsbɜːɡ ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti nˈaɪn, hɪz dɪsɚtˈeɪʃən ɛntˈaɪɾəld "pˈɜːsənz ænd pˈiːpɹˈɛdᵻkˌeɪts" ɹˈɪʔn̩ wɪð wˈɪlfɹɪd sˈɛlɚz æz hɪz ɐdvˈaɪzɚ.
He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1969, his dissertation entitled "Persons and P-Predicates" written with Wilfrid Sellars as his advisor.