Austin argues that utterances are not merely descriptive but perform actions, a concept he develops from his initial distinction between performative utterances and statements. He ultimately abandons this binary, proposing instead a broader theory of illocutionary forces that accounts for the various actions accomplished through speech. This new framework, he claims, has significant implications for diverse philosophical inquiries.
Through his analysis, Austin moves beyond a simple true/false dichotomy for utterances. He introduces the concept of illocutionary forces, demonstrating how saying something can simultaneously achieve different communicative acts. Readers gain an understanding of speech as action and a powerful analytical tool for dissecting the varied ways words function beyond their propositional content.
Key concepts
- Performative utterances — Utterances that do not just describe a state of affairs, but rather *perform* an action.
- Statements — Utterances that are typically considered true or false.
- Illocutionary forces — The various actions that can be performed by an utterance, beyond simply stating a fact.