John Austen: speech act and philosophy of everyday language

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

John Austen is a British philosopher, one of the important figures in what is called the philosophy of language. He was the founder of the concept, one of the first theories of pragmatists in the philosophy of language. This theory is called "speech act". Its original wording is related to his posthumous work How to Make Words Things.

Philosophy of ordinary language

Philosophy of language is the branch of philosophy that studies language. Namely, such concepts as meaning, truth, use of language (or pragmatics), learning and creation of language. Understanding what was said, the main idea, experience, communication, interpretation and translation from a linguistic point of view.

Linguists almost always focused on the analysis of the linguistic system, its forms, levels and functions, while the philosophers' problem with language was more profound or abstract. They were interested in issues such as the relationship between language and the world. That is, between linguistic and extralinguistic processes, or between language and thought.

Of the topics preferred by the philosophy of language, the following deserve attention:

studying the origin of language;
language symbols (artificial language);
linguistic activity in its global sense;
semantics.

Ordinary language philosophy

Ordinary language philosophy, sometimes called "Oxfordian philosophy", is a kind of linguistic philosophy that can be characterized as the view that language orientation is the key to both the content and the method inherent in the discipline of philosophy as a whole. Linguistic philosophy includes both the philosophy of ordinary language and the logical positivism developed by the philosophers of the Vienna Circle. The two schools are inextricably linked historically and theoretically, and one of the keys to understanding the philosophy of ordinary language is really understanding the relationship it carries to logical positivism.

Although ordinary language philosophy and logical positivism share the conviction that philosophical problems are linguistic problems, and therefore the method inherent in philosophy is "linguistic analysis", it differs significantly from what such analysis is and what are its purpose of conducting. The philosophy of ordinary language (or "plain words") is generally associated with the later views of Ludwig Wittgenstein and with the work of the Oxford University philosophers between about 1945 and 1970.

The main figures of the philosophy of ordinary language

The main figures of the philosophy of the ordinary, in the early stages were NormanMalcolm, Alice Ambrose, Morris Lazerovitzi. At a later stage, among the philosophers one can note Gilbert Ryle, John Austin, among others. However, it is important to note that the philosophical point of view of ordinary language was not developed as a unified theory and was not an organized program as such.

Ordinary philosophy of language is primarily a methodology committed to a close and careful study of the use of language expressions, especially philosophically problematic ones. The commitment to this methodology, and to what is appropriate and most fruitful for the discipline of philosophy, is due to the fact that it brings together diverse and independent views.

Professor at Oxford

John Austen (1911-1960) was professor of moral philosophy at Oxford University. He made many contributions to various fields of philosophy. Considered important are his works on knowledge, perception, action, freedom, truth, language, and the use of language in speech acts.

His work on cognition and perception continues the tradition of "Oxford realism" from Cook Wilson and Harold Arthur Pritchard to J. M. Hinton, John McDowell, Paul Snowdon, Charles Travis and Timothy Williamson.

Life and work

John Austen was born in Lancaster (England) on March 26, 1911. His father's name was Jeffrey Langshaw Austin, and his mother was Mary Austin (before the marriage of Bowes - Wilson). The family moved to Scotland in 1922 where Austin's father taught at St Leonard's School in St Andrews.

Austin received a scholarship in the fieldclassics at Shrewsbury School in 1924, and in 1929 he continued his studies in classics at Balliol College, Oxford. In 1933 he was elected to the College Fellowship, Oxford.

In 1935 he took his first teaching position as a colleague and lecturer at Magdalen College, Oxford. Austin's early interests included Aristotle, Kant, Leibniz, and Plato. During World War II, John Austin served in the British Reconnaissance Corps. He left the army in September 1945 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. For his intelligence work, he was honored to wear the Order of the British Empire.

Austin married Jean Coutts in 1941. They had four children, two girls and two boys. After the war, John returned to Oxford. He became professor of moral philosophy in 1952. In the same year, he assumed the role of a delegate to Oxford University Press, becoming chairman of the Finance Committee in 1957. He was also chairman of the philosophical faculty and president of the Aristotle Society. Much of his influence has been through teaching and other forms of interaction with philosophers. He also organized the "Saturday Morning" series of discussion sessions, which discussed some of the philosophical themes and works in detail. Austin died at Oxford on February 8, 1960.

Language and philosophy

Austin was called the philosopher of ordinary language. First, the use of language is a central part of human activity, so it is an important topic in its own right.

Secondly, the study of the language is an assistant to the coverage of some philosophical topics. Austin believed that in the rush to address general philosophical questions, philosophers tend to ignore the nuances involved in making and evaluating ordinary claims and judgments. Among the risks associated with insensitivity to nuances, two stand out:

First, philosophers can see the differences that are made in normal human use of language and that are relevant to problems and demands.
Second, failure to fully utilize the resources of ordinary language can leave philosophers susceptible to seemingly forced choices between unacceptable alternatives.