John Searle

John Searle speaking at Google 1

John Rogers Searle (born July 31, 1932) is an American philosopher. He is best known for his contributions to the philosophy of language, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of society. Searle has made significant contributions to discussions on consciousness, intentionality, speech acts, and social ontology. His work has influenced various areas of philosophy as well as other disciplines including linguistics, psychology, and artificial intelligence.

Biography

John Searle was born in Denver, Colorado, and later attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he graduated with a degree in philosophy. He then went on to study at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, where he was a student of J.L. Austin, a major figure in the philosophy of language. Searle has spent most of his teaching career at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has been a professor since 1959.

Philosophical Work

Speech Acts

One of Searle's most influential contributions is his work on speech acts. In his 1969 book, Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of Language, Searle argues that speaking a language is a form of rule-governed behavior and that speaking a language involves performing certain kinds of acts, such as asserting, questioning, and commanding. He introduced the concepts of illocutionary acts and perlocutionary acts to distinguish between the different kinds of acts involved in speaking.

Intentionality

Searle's work on intentionality, the capacity of minds to be about, to represent, or to stand for, things, properties, and states of affairs, is also highly regarded. In his 1983 book, Intentionality: An Essay in the Philosophy of Mind, Searle argues that intentionality is a fundamental feature of the mind and explores how mental states are directed at or about objects and states of affairs in the world.

Consciousness and the Mind

Searle has also made significant contributions to the philosophy of mind, particularly with his discussions on consciousness. He is known for his critique of computationalism, the view that the mind is essentially a computer, and his argument against artificial intelligence (AI), famously illustrated by the Chinese Room argument. This thought experiment challenges the notion that computers can possess understanding or consciousness merely by processing symbols according to syntactic rules.

Social Ontology

In the realm of social philosophy, Searle has developed a theory of social ontology that explores the construction of social reality. In his 1995 book, The Construction of Social Reality, Searle argues that many facts about the social world are created by human agreement and can only exist because we believe them to exist. This includes money, property, governments, and marriages, which are all examples of what he calls "institutional facts."

Influence and Criticism

Searle's work has been both influential and controversial. His ideas have sparked debates in various areas of philosophy, particularly in the philosophy of mind and artificial intelligence. Critics have challenged his views on consciousness, intentionality, and the nature of social reality, leading to a rich and ongoing dialogue within the philosophical community.

Selected Works

• Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of Language (1969)
• Intentionality: An Essay in the Philosophy of Mind (1983)
• The Construction of Social Reality (1995)
• Mind, Language and Society: Philosophy in the Real World (1998)

See Also

• Philosophy of language
• Philosophy of mind
• Artificial intelligence
• Consciousness
• Speech act