Overview
- John R. Searle’s death on September 17, 2025 at age 93 was confirmed by the American Philosophical Association, prompting fresh obituaries and reassessments.
- He popularized speech‑act theory in his 1969 book Speech Acts, recasting language as a form of action that helps constitute social reality.
- His 'Chinese Room' thought experiment challenged claims that computers understand meaning, a touchstone now invoked in discussions of large AI systems.
- Searle developed a social ontology explaining how institutions such as money and governments arise from status‑function declarations in linguistic practices.
- He publicly backed Berkeley’s Free Speech Movement in the 1960s, and late‑career allegations led UC Berkeley in 2019 to revoke his membership and emeritus status.