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John Searle Quotes


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Quotes by John Searle

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I want to block some common misunderstandings about 'understanding': In many of these discussions one finds a lot of fancy footwork about the word 'understanding.'

~John Searle

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In many cases it is a matter for decision and not a simple matter of fact whether x understands y; and so on.

~John Searle

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There are clear cases in which 'understanding' literally applies and clear cases in which it does not apply; and these two sorts of cases are all I need for this argument.

~John Searle

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My car and my adding machine understand nothing: they are not in that line of business.

~John Searle

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We often attribute 'understanding' and other cognitive predicates by metaphor and analogy to cars, adding machines, and other artifacts, but nothing is proved by such attributions.

~John Searle

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Our tools are extensions of our purposes, and so we find it natural to make metaphorical attributions of intentionality to them; but I take it no philosophical ice is cut by such examples.

~John Searle

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I will argue that in the literal sense the programmed computer understands what the car and the adding machine understand, namely, exactly nothing.

~John Searle

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Where conscious subjectivity is concerned, there is no distinction between the observation and the thing observed.

~John Searle

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Whatever is referred to must exist. Let us call this the axiom of existence.

~John Searle

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Where questions of style and exposition are concerned I try to follow a simple maxim: if you can't say it clearly you don't understand it yourself.

~John Searle

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Biography

Nationality: American

Type: Philosopher

Born: December 1st, 1932

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