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Which psychological state does a promise express according to John Searle?
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John Searle
American philosopher John Searle, a major contributor to the philosophy of language and the philosophy of mind.
According to the American philosopher John Searle, the psychological state expressed by a promise is the speaker's intention to carry out the act promised.1
Searle categorized speech acts based on three dimensions: the illocutionary point, the direction of fit, and the expressed psychological state. In his taxonomy, a promise is classified as a commissive. While a statement expresses a belief and an order expresses a desire, a promise necessarily expresses the speaker's intention to perform the future act described in the promise.12