Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How does the direction of fit differ between a statement and a promise in John Searleās theory?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
John Searle
American philosopher John Searle, a major contributor to the philosophy of language and the philosophy of mind.
In the philosophy of language, John Searle uses the concept of "direction of fit" to describe how different speech acts relate to the world.1
- Statements: These possess a "word-to-world" direction of fit. When making a statement, the speaker attempts to make their words match the existing state of the world.1
- Promises: These possess a "world-to-word" direction of fit. By making a promise, the speaker undertakes an obligation to change the world so that it matches the content of their words.1
Searle distinguishes these from speech acts with a "null" direction of fit, such as greetings or thanks, which do not attempt to align words and the world in either direction.1