Like 'real', 'free' is only used to rule out the suggestion of some or all of its recognized antitheses. As 'truth' is not a name of a characteristic of assertions, so 'freedom' is not a name for a characteristic of actions, but the name of a dimension in which actions are assessed. --Austin, Papers 180.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Words like free and truth do not describe characteristics but define dimensions for assessing actions or assertions.
- In plain terms
- These words set the frame for judgment rather than describing the thing itself.
- What can you take from it?
- Use terms like freedom to assess actions not to define them.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What dimension does freedom define?
- How do we assess actions?
Another view
This view might obscure how people intuitively use these words.
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