John R. Searle

The Jean Nicod Lectures 2000 (Paris)

Awarded the Jovellanos Prize (Spain) and

the Tasan Memorial Prize (Korea)

The Jean Nicod Lectures

François Recanati, editor

A Bradford Book

The MIT Press

Cambridge, Massachusetts

London, England

2001

For Dagmar

"[Paul Valéry] says somewhere: A poem is never finished, it is abandoned in despair. The same can be said of some works of philosophy. I have more than once, when I have finished a book and finally sent if off to the publisher, had the feeling: 'If only I could rewrite it from the beginning, now that I know how it should be done!' Well with this book I actually did rewrite it from the beginning. Some years ago I had finished the draft and had it accepted for publication, but then I decided to rewrite the whole thing. I eliminated some chapters altogether, added others, and rewrote several of those that remained. Now that it is going off to the publisher I still have the same feeling: 'If only I could rewrite it from the beginning. . . .'"