From his groundbreaking book Speech Acts to his most recent studies of consciousness, freedom and rationality John Searle has been a dominant and highly influential figure amongst contemporary philosophers. This systematic introduction to the full range of Searle’s work begins with the theory of speech acts and proceeds with expositions of Searle’s writings on intentionality, consciousness and perception, as well as a careful presentation of the so-called Chinese Room argument. The volume considers Searle’s recent work on social ontology and his views on the nature of law and obligation. It concludes with an appraisal of Searle's spirited defence of truth and scientific method in the face of the criticisms of Derrida and other postmodernists. This is the only comprehensive introduction to Searle’s work, and as such it will be of particular value to advanced undergraduates, graduates and professionals in philosophy, psychology, linguistics, cognitive and computer science and literary theory.
• Only comprehensive introduction available to one of the dominant philosophical figures of our time • Systematic and accessible • Distinguished roster of contributors
Contents
1. John Searle: from speech acts to social reality Barry Smith; 2. From speech acts to speech activity Nick Fotion; 3. Intentions, obligations and promises Leonardo Zaibert; 4. Law George P. Fletcher; 5. Action Joelle Proust; 6. Consciousness Neil Manson; 7. The intentionality of perception Fred Dretske; 8. Sense data Brian O'Shaughnessy; 9. The limits of expressibility Francois Recanati; 10. The Chinese Room Josef Moural; 11. Searle, Derrida and the ends of phenomenology Kevin Mulligan.
Review
'… this is a detailed and relatively comprehensive introduction to one of the most prominent and diverse figures in contemporary philosophy. It would undoubtedly be of great value to undergraduate, and possibly graduate, students in philosophy or other disciplines who are unfamiliar with Searle's philosophy.' Philosophical Writings
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