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Which kinds of utterances count as declarations in John Searleās taxonomy?
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John Searle
American philosopher John Searle, a major contributor to the philosophy of language and the philosophy of mind.
In John Searleās taxonomy of speech acts, declarations are utterances that function to change the state of the world immediately upon being spoken, provided the speaker has the appropriate authority to perform the act in a given context.12
Examples of utterances that count as declarations include:
- Excommunications12
- Hirings12
- Declarations of war12
These acts are distinct from other categories in Searle's taxonomyāsuch as assertives, directives, commissives, and expressivesābecause they bring about a new state of affairs simply by virtue of the utterance being successfully performed.12