J. L. Austin

Date of Birth: March 26, 1911

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Date of Death: February 8, 1960

Biography

John Langshaw Austin, commonly known as J. L. Austin, was an influential British philosopher renowned for his work in the field of ordinary language philosophy. Born on March 26, 1911, in Lancaster, England, Austin’s early education took place at Shrewsbury School. He later attended Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied classics and philosophy. Austin’s career was marked by his service in World War II, during which he worked in intelligence and was awarded the OBE, the French Croix de Guerre, and the U.S. Officer of the Legion of Merit. After the war, he returned to Oxford and became a Fellow at All Souls College and later a Professor of Philosophy. His most famous works include “How to Do Things with Words” and “Sense and Sensibilia,” which laid the groundwork for speech act theory. Austin argued that the meaning of words is often determined by their usage in ordinary language rather than by abstract definitions. Austin married Jean Coutts in 1941, and they had four children. His contributions to philosophy were cut short by his untimely death from lung cancer on February 8, 1960. Despite his brief career, Austin’s influence on philosophy remains substantial, particularly in the realms of language, epistemology, and metaphysics.

5 Interesting Facts about J. L. Austin

1. J. L. Austin served in the British intelligence during World War II and received multiple honors for his service, including the OBE and the French Croix de Guerre.

2. His book “How to Do Things with Words” is foundational in the field of speech act theory, exploring how utterances can function as actions rather than merely conveying information.

3. Austin was a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and later became White’s Professor of Moral Philosophy at Oxford.

4. He was known for his meticulous and detailed approach to philosophical analysis, often focusing on the nuances of everyday language.

5. Austin’s influence extended widely, affecting not only philosophy but also linguistics, legal theory, and artificial intelligence.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from J. L. Austin

1. “We perform acts in saying something, as well as by saying something.”

2. “There are more ways of outraging speech than contradiction merely.”

3. “Going back to ordinary language, it seems, is the only way to recover the facts.”

4. “Philosophical problems arise when language goes on holiday.”

5. “Sentences are not as such either true or false.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

There is no widely available information on J. L. Austin’s net worth. As a scholar and professor, his wealth would have primarily come from his academic positions and publications, which were not typically lucrative in his time.

Children

J. L. Austin had four children with his wife, Jean Coutts. However, specific details about his children, including their names and lives, have remained private and are not widely documented.