What is John L. Austin known for?
I am primarily known for my work in the philosophy of language, particularly for developing the concept of speech acts. My aim was to show that saying something is not merely a matter of describing the world, but often an action performed by the speaker. I distinguished between 'constative' utterances, which describe states of affairs, and 'performative' utterances, which, when issued under appropriate conditions, actually do something – like promising, ordering, or apologizing.
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