Searle’s Language and Consciousness
To philosopher John Searle, language is crucial for consciousness, just as consciousness is crucial for language, because much of our consciousness is shaped by language and because the parts of language that are most important to us are precisely those that are conscious.
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John Searle
Philosopher
John Rogers Searle (1932–2025) was an American philosopher widely noted for contributions to the philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, and social philosophy. He began teaching at UC Berkeley in 1959 and was Willis S. and Marion Slusser Professor Emeritus of the Philosophy of Mind and Language.
Key Takeaways
Core Claim
Language and consciousness enrich each other in a bootstrapping loop across evolution and development.
How It Works
Language shapes what we can consciously think, feel, and imagine—expanding our inner lives.
Distinguishing Idea
Many conscious experiences (like longing or regret) are impossible without linguistic thought.
Implications
Human consciousness is not just richer than animals’; it’s structurally different because of language.
Searle’s Language and Consciousness
To philosopher John Searle, language is crucial for consciousness, just as consciousness is crucial for language, because much of our consciousness is shaped by language and because the parts of language that are most important to us are precisely those that are conscious (Searle, 2014b).
Language Shaping Consciousness
Searle contrasts human and animal consciousness: “My dogs have a kind of consciousness which is incredibly rich. They can smell things I can't smell and they have a kind of inner life that I don't have, but all the same, there are all kinds of conscious experiences they simply cannot have. My doggy lying there may be thinking about chasing other dogs but he's not thinking about doing his income tax or writing his next poem or figuring out how he's going to have a better summer vacation next year.”
Searle stresses how language gives us enormous power in shaping consciousness. A favorite quotation is from the French philosopher La Rochefoucauld: “Very few people would ever fall in love if they never read about it.” Searle's point is that language shapes experience; there are all kinds of experiences you just can't have without language.
As for how language and consciousness articulate and developed over time, Searle envisions an evolutionary “boot-strapping effect.” It starts off with pre-linguistic consciousness, and then develops linguistic meaning and communication, which enrich consciousness. The result is an elaborate structure of language, which makes for a more elaborate structure of consciousness, which then enables you to enrich your language. There is a continuous reinforcing and compound effect (Searle, 2014b).
Consciousness Without Language
Non-linguistic animals can't do this, Searle continues: “My doggie can think somebody is at the door, but he cannot think I wish 17 people were at the door, or I hope we get more people at the door next week. Because to do that, he has got to be able to shuffle the symbols in a way that human beings can with their inner syntax.”
Although animals do not form or express their beliefs in a symbolic language, Searle attributes to them intentional states, and because intentional states require consciousness, it follows that consciousness does not require symbolic language. He cites as evidence that animals “correct their beliefs all the time on the basis of their perceptions” (Proust, 2003; Searle, 2002).
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