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John Searle's Speech Acts made a highly original contribution to work in the philosophy of language. Expression and Meaning is a direct successor, concerned to develop and refine the account presented in Searle's earlier work, and to extend its application to other modes of discourse such as metaphor, fiction, reference, and indirect speech arts. Searle also presents a rational taxonomy of types of speech acts and explores the relation between the meanings of sentences and the contexts of their utterance. The book points forward to a larger theme implicit in these problems - the basis certain features of speech have in the intentionality of mind, and even more generally, the relation of the philosophy of language to the philosophy of mind. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Ok
Published in 1979 John Searle's `Expression and Meaning' is a series of essays that amplify and build on his earlier work in the philosophy of language (Speech Acts).Searle is a leading contemporary American philosopher who has made significant contributions in the areas of social philosophy, philosophy of the mind and the philosophy of language.

In many ways this short text is a period piece that provides insight into Searle's developing thought in the areas of human cognition and language.From my perspective the most interesting and important essays are those in which he articulates his taxonomy of speech acts (assertives, directives, commissives, expressives and declarations), andthose that examine fictional language and metaphor.In the decades since the publication of `Expression and Meaning' Searle has continued to refine his views, articulating them more clearly and concisely elsewhere (his recent work in the area of social reality come to mind).Other essays such as the one responding to Ross, Gordon and Lakoff are of less value to the contemporary reader.

Overall, while Searle's contributions to the philosophy of language are important and influential this text is probably a pass for most readers.For those interested in getting a feel for Searle's work I would suggest one of his many more recent publications or some of his lectures available through itunes U/UC Berkley.

Speech Act Theory
If your reading Jacques Derrida, esp. Limited Inc and Psyche this work along with Austin's How to do Things with Words are essential.These two books are the fundamental texts of Speech Act Theory.So if you want to find out about Locutions, Illocutionary Force and whatnot check out this text. ... Read more

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This is a volume of original essays on key aspects of John Searle's philosophy of language. It examines Searle's work in relation to current issues of central significance, including internalism versus externalism about mental and linguistic content, truth-conditional versus non-truth-conditional conceptions of content, the relative priorities of thought and language in the explanation of intentionality, the status of the distinction between force and sense in the theory of meaning, the issue of meaning scepticism in relation to rule-following, and the proper characterization of 'what is said' in relation to the semantics/pragmatics distinction. Written by a distinguished team of contemporary philosophers, and prefaced by an illuminating essay by Searle, the volume aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of Searle's work in philosophy of language, and to suggest innovative approaches to fundamental questions in that area. ... Read more

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John R. Searle’s 1995 publication The Construction of Social Reality is the foundation of this collection of scholarly papers examining Searle's philosophical theories. The book works to reconstruct the ontology of the social sciences through an analysis of linguistic practices in the context of John Searle's celebrated work on intentionality. The authors provide rich and varied critical appraisals of Searle's original text.

• Reconstructs the ontology of the social sciences through an analysis of linguistic practices in the context of John Searle's celebrated work on intentionality
  
• Authors provide rich and varied critical appraisals of Searle's original text.

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Ten original essays examine the central themes of John Searle’s ontology of society. Written by an international team of philosophers and social scientists, the essays contribute to a deeper understanding of Searle’s work. Moreover, these essays open the door to new approaches to addressing fundamental questions about social phenomena. This book also features a new essay by Searle himself that summarizes and further develops his work.

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Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2002 im Fachbereich Germanistik - Linguistik, einseitig bedruckt, Note: 2,0, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Institut für deutsche Sprache und Literatur), Veranstaltung: HS: Hauptfragen der Sprachphilosophie, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: "Was für eine Welt des augenlosen Sehens und hörbaren Schweigens, dieses immaterielle Land der Seele. Welche mit Worten nicht zu fassenden Wesenheiten, diese körperlosen Erinnerungen, diese niemandem vorzeigbaren Träumereien. Es ist die unsichtbare Arena allen Fühlens, Phantasierens und Fragens, ein grenzenloser Sammelplatz von Enttäuschungen und Entdeckungen. [...] Dieses Bewußtsein, das mein eigenstes, innerstes Selbst ist, das alles ist und doch ein reines Nichts - was ist es?"Was Jaynes hier in emphatischen Worten zum Ausdruck bringt, hat in der Tradition der analytischen Philosophie eine umfangreiche Tradition. Es geht um die Frage nach der Beziehung zwischen Leib und Seele, oder, moderner ausgedrückt, um die Beziehung zwischen Körper und Geist oder Materie und Bewusstsein. Die Tradition der Antwort lässt sich in zwei Grundkonzeptionen einbetten, den Materialismus und den Dualismus. Um diese beiden Theorien soll es zunächst gehen. Ihre Standpunkte können allerdings nicht separat ausdifferenziert wiedergegeben werden, es würde den Rahmen dieser Arbeit sprengen, sondern werden in Bezug auf John Searles Theorie in ,,Die Wiederentdeckung des Geistes" dargestellt. Searles Ansatz zur Lösung des Leib-Seele-Problems steht im Mittelpunkt dieser Arbeit. Der Begriff der Seele hat sich in der wissenschaftlichen Terminologie zugunsten des Begriffs des Geistes gewandelt. In diesem Sinne wird in dieser Arbeit von geistigen Phänomenen oder von Bewusstsein (im Sinne Searles) gesprochen. Was man unter Leib oder Körperlichkeit zu verstehen hat, ist klar, es bedarf jedoch eines Arbeitsbegriffs des Geistes. Deshalb ist es wichtig, auf Searles Definition einzugehen.Searle benutzt den Begriff Bewusstsein anstelle von Seele ... Read more

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John Searle es uno de los pensadores más influyentes que ha conocido el siglo XX, y quizás sea el autor vivo más importante de la filosofía analítica. La presente obra recopila las doce horas de conversaciones que el autor sostuvo con John Searle en su despacho de la Universidad de Berkeley, California. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Searle at his best
This is NOT the typical interviews book, filled with self-indulgence and old-time stories. Mr. Faigenbaum uses his deep knowledge of Sarle's developments to discuss the central aspects of his body of work. This non-compromized approach, sheds light on the key role Searle played in 20th century's North American philosophy. Thorough but also entertaining, a book that should be read by anyone who wants to understand the underlying tension in current phlosophical ideas.

Searle's best
This is NOT the typical interviews book, in which the author, too lazy to write critical work, chats aboutpersonal stories. Mr. Faigenbaum thorough understanding of Searle's body of knowledge allows him to delve deeply into his philosophical developments. The reader can therefore easily comprehend the crucial role Searle played in 20th Century American philosophy. Mr. Faigenbaum does a good job at using theinterview format to his advantage, keeping the book conceptual, complete and entertaining.

I recomend it definitely
I was very helpful for me to read this book. It helped me to underestand many complex ideas, and to understand the most general positions of this scholar. I recomend it for everybody studying Searle's developements. It is easy reading and very deep. Dr. Faigenbaum, the interviewer, did a great job. ... Read more

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This book treats many complex topics such as the relationship between brain and consciousness, the 'Chinese Room' argument, and also Searle's aesthetic and political ideas. The interviewer has an attitude, he is very critical and controversial. And on top of that, the books has many stories about Searle's years at Oxford that are a lot of fun. ... Read more

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An accessible and self-contained introduction to statistical models-now in a modernized new edition

Generalized, Linear, and Mixed Models, Second Edition provides an up-to-date treatment of the essential techniques for developing and applying a wide variety of statistical models. The book presents thorough and unified coverage of the theory behind generalized, linear, and mixed models and highlights their similarities and differences in various construction, application, and computational aspects.

A clear introduction to the basic ideas of fixed effects models, random effects models, and mixed models is maintained throughout, and each chapter illustrates how these models are applicable in a wide array of contexts. In addition, a discussion of general methods for the analysis of such models is presented with an emphasis on the method of maximum likelihood for the estimation of parameters. The authors also provide comprehensive coverage of the latest statistical models for correlated, non-normally distributed data. Thoroughly updated to reflect the latest developments in the field, the Second Edition features:

• A new chapter that covers omitted covariates, incorrect random effects distribution, correlation of covariates and random effects, and robust variance estimation
• A new chapter that treats shared random effects models, latent class models, and properties of models
• A revised chapter on longitudinal data, which now includes a discussion of generalized linear models, modern advances in longitudinal data analysis, and the use between and within covariate decompositions
• Expanded coverage of marginal versus conditional models
• Numerous new and updated examples

Customer Reviews (2)

nice recent text on mixed models
This is a very recent and authoritative treatment of classical parametric models, starting with the general linear model and extending to generalized linear models, linear mixed models and finally to generalized linear mixed models. It also has applciations to longitudinal data analysis and prediction problems. Heavy on theory and matrix algebra but not loaded with applications. Good for a graduate course in statistics especially for Ph.D. students. It is concise covering a large range of topics in only 310 pages. An interesting feature is a chapter on computing that deals with Markov chain Monte Carlo methods in some detail.
There is also a brief chapter on nonlinear models (only 5 pages) that includes an example of corn photosynthesis and also the important application to pharmacokinetic models.

The emphasis is on maximum likelihood estimation and its extensions (e.g. restricted maximum likelihood and penalized likelihood and quasi-likelihood). The authors provide an interesting perspective on the non-applicability of analysis of variance techniques in some mixed effects models.

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Very good textbook for the statistic model
This is a very good textbook. Since it covers most of important topics in the short pages. Authors assume that readers have the good background in the linear model. So if you have good background in linear model and statistic inference this will be the wonderful book for the statistic student. This is only one problem of this book. It cost toooo much for a poor student! Thus I take one point out. ... Read more

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The analytic impression of Michel Foucault is of a radical relativist whose views on truth entail linguistic idealism. C.G. Prado's book lays this misperception to rest, showing analytic philosophers that Foucault's ideas about truth are defensible and merit serious attention, while also demonstrating to Continental philosophers that Searle's ideas about truth can not be ignored.Prado rebuts the analytic impression of Michel Foucault as a radical relativist whose views on truth entail denial of the objective world, and demonstrates that Foucault is not only a realist, but also much closer than many imagine to John Searle and Donald Davidson, both model analytic thinkers. ... Read more

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This controversial lecture at an international conference held in 1981 at the Universidada Estudual of Campinas, Brazil was given by John Searle in which he presented two conceptual theses: that conversation doesn't have an intrinsic structure about which a relevant theory can be formulated and that conversations are not subject to (constitutive) rules. The lecture was first published in 1986 under the title, "Notes on Conversation" and was revised several times afterwards. The present volume offers the most recent version. Because of the importance of the article for conversation analysis, and for pragmatists in general, the editors have put together Searle's target article along with eight original comments. The volume closes with a "reply to replies" by Searle and is completed by indices of names and of subjects. ... Read more

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The most famous challenge to computational cognitive science and artificial intelligence is the philosopher John Searle's "Chinese Room" argument. Searle argued that, although machines can be devised to respond to input with the same output as would a mind, machines--unlike minds--lack understanding of the symbols they process. 19 essays by leading scientists and philosophers assess, renew, and respond to his challenge. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Chinese Room Syndrome
This book isn't as much about 'how computers think' as it is about how computer scientists think - and feel.

On page 52 John Searle states that CRA (Chinese Room Argument) rests on two "fundamental logical truths":

1.) Syntax is not semantics (An English speaker could learn to recite passages from the Koran in Arabic yet have no understanding of their meaning.)

2.) Simulation is not duplication (A computer program could simulate digestion but that doesn't mean it could digest a pizza and beer.)

That's it! It just doesn't seem like rocket science to me. And I've never seen such a battle of straw men. Straw man 1: the Turing test proves human consciousness; straw man 2: CRA proves that machines can't think; straw man 3: computation is not part of our cognitive process - and so on. Professor Searle once said in a lecture that it took him five minutes to develop this little thought experiment. So what's all the fuss about? I think I found the answer on page 295:

"One of the charges that had been laid against Searle by his critics had been that his wrong-headed critique had squelched funding for Artificial Intelligence..."-Stevan Harnad (p295)

I have no idea what goes on in academia with research funding and all. But I have a sneaking suspicion that this is the source of much of the hyperbole about `thinking machines'.

Terry Winograd, computer scientist at Stanford, uses the postmodern technique to counter Searle's argument. The meaning of the word `understand', he claims, is a social construction. Therefore it is erroneous to believe that there is a right or wrong answer to the question: does the computer `understand' the language it is using?

"The error is not one of flawed logic in the argument about artificial intelligence, but is more fundamental and more pervasive. It has to do with the basic orientation we take towards the truth or falsity of statements in natural language."- Terry Winograd (p80)

On page 94 one of the editors of this book, John Preston, questions Winograd:

JP:"You say that all uses of the term `understand' and its cognates depend on certain concerns and perspectives. Isn't there a problem of self-reflexion [sic] here? Mustn't it be that your own uses of those terms are right only for certain concerns and from certain perspectives, but wrong for and from others?"

TW: "You correctly point out that if I am to be consistent in being relativistic, then I must apply it to my own statements as well as to the ones I am analyzing. Indeed, my own evaluations of attitudes are matters of social construction that is not the same as individual subjective opinion, but is grounded in the social discourse rather than in an appeal to objective truth." - Terry Winograd (p94)

What I see here is a person operating at the very, very highest level of academia resorting to the typical California postmodern response, `It's all relative man.' It's comical. Like a father saying, `Don't you try to tell me my baby doesn't understand English.'

Nevertheless, this book explores one of the most fascinating philosophical questions of our time: will we someday be able to build machines like ourselves that will replicate human consciousness?Considering the enormity of that question, it is no wonder the overwhelming response to Searle's CRA has sometimes taken on the character of religious passion.

Ignore the previous comments on "trick philosophy"
The Chinese Room Argument (CRA) has nothing to do with the speed of computers or any future developments in artifical intelligence (at least as understood as following from Turing). The CRA is a purely formal argument intended to refute the claim that computers (defined as Turing machines) can think, or can understand, or are minds solely by virtue of their formal description. (This claim is the essence of "computationalism," after Turing's original formulation.) The CRA is that: 1) Syntax is not semantics.2) The implemented synatactical or formal programof a computer is not sufficient to generate semantics. 3) Minds have semantics. 4) Therefore, computers (so defined) are not minds/cannot think/do not understand because they are not sufficient to generate semantics.

For example, the concepts we employ to think and the words we use to speak have meanings. But there is nothing in computationalism as syntax that has any meaning whatsoever. Whatever meaning an implemented formal program has results from its being programmed or interpreted by us. Syntax (e.g., a computer program) has no causal powers. Whatever causal powers computers have (e.g., to fly airplanes) results from our programming and our assigning interpretations to the electrical charge insides a chip, not from the program in itself.

The chapters in Views Into the Chinese Room attack different aspects of the CRA. But they address it as an argument that stands or falls on the truth of the premises and the validity of the inference, not on engineering questions such as the speed of computers, which are irrelevant. Searle believes that there are, in fact, thinking machines -- we human beings are biological machines that think. And he believes that there also could be artificially made machines that think. The CRA is meant to show only that an implemented computer program by itself cannot generate mental content or semantic content.

For a clear explanation of the CRA, see chapter 15 of this book, by Stevan Harnad, the editor of The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, where Searle's original paper appeared twenty years ago. Do not rely on reviewers who do not understand the argument in the first place.

Trick philosophy
The human brain evolved to assist the survival of its owner while the owner navigated the dangerous jungles and forests of ancient times.Its ability to extract patterns from the information provided by the retina and optic nerve is quite phenomenal.The process by which your brain is recognizing my words and understanding my meaning is astounding.

Yet if you are asked to act like a computer by reading numbers, moving paper tape, erasing things and following instructions given on the paper tape, you will prove to be one of the slowest computers in the world.The original word `computer' referred to a man sitting in a room with paper, pencil and eraser.These human `computers' were replaced by machines a long time ago because they are too slow.

In summary, humans are fast and intelligent at being humans but slow at being computers.In the Chinese Room Argument, John Searle states that although we have a human mind which could otherwise be used to understand Chinese, this particular human mind does not in fact understand it.Given this stipulation, the human mind's ability to process language cannot be used and the only method of "understanding Chinese" is left to the "Chinese room" which consists of a computer run by the very slowest of CPUs, the human being sans abacus, sans calculator, sans silicon chips and sans hope.

The Chinese Room Argument is a trick argument that proves nothing.The computer room is so slow that it cannot ever think or understand Chinese.On the other hand, this doesn't say anything about whether a high-speed computer with the memory and processing power of the human brain might one day speak and understand Chinese quite well. ... Read more

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Introduction to Bioethics is a comprehensive introduction to the broad field of bioethics, focusing on key issues directly relevant to students of modern biological and medical sciences. Ethical issues relating to both plants and animals are covered, drawing out scientific, medical, social and religious concerns. ... Read more

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This collection is packed with thirty quizzes -- some from the pages of Cosmopolitan magazine and some created just for this book. Divided into three sections -- love, life, and lust -- Cosmopolitan's Bedside Quiz Book includes quizzes for each area of a woman's life.

Some are playful and sexy:

Is He a Keeper?

What's Your Lust Level?

What Kind of Sexual Vibe Do You Give Off?

Others offer more insight into life:

Are You High Maintenance?

Do You Have a Healthy Ego?

What's Your Emotional Age?

Sure to be a hit with the millions of fun, fearless females who take the Cosmopolitan quiz each month, this book is a must-have for those who want to know more about themselves, their friends, and their men.

... Read more