But I owe it to the subject to say, that it has long afforded me what philosophy is so often thought, and made, barren of - the fun of discovery, the pleasures of co-operation, and the satisfaction of reaching agreement.

169-92. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society. Fann K.

Prior to Austin the attention of linguistic and analytic philosophers had been directed almost exclusively to statements assertions and propositions — to linguistic acts that (at least in theory) have truth-value. John Langshaw "J. " Austin (26 March 1911 – 8 February 1960) was a British philosopher of language.