On Searle’s Concept Of "Institutional Fact"

Institutional facts is an important concept in John Searle’s social reality theory, and this concept has great significance. Institutional facts is the starting point of social reality theory, which has the internal structure of "X in situation C counted as Y ", and reflect the nature of the society. In the book of the "social reality construction", Searle taking more in-depth concept for "institutional facts", analyzing the social reality based on the construction of institutional facts, which makes educational circles to re-recognize the importance of such facts. This article specifically explained the meaning of institutional facts, the elements of institutional facts and its institutional facts, analyzed of the academic debate on institutional facts, and defence from Searle, then made a reasonable evaluation for Searle’s institutional facts, affirmed the value and significance of the Searle’s Institutional Fact concept.There are four parts in this article. The first part is the brief explanation for this topic’s importance, analysis background, analysis content and its innovation;The second part is divided into two sections, firstly explained the Institutional Fact theory background according to Searle’s philosophy developing three stages, then stated the meaning of institutional fact, including Institution, fact and institutional fact, et.The third part is main for how to construct institutional fact. Construct institutional facts need three points:collective intentionality, assignment of function and constitutive rules. Collective intentionality is the prerequisite and basis for construction of institutional facts, assignment of function must be in the affection of collective intentionality, constitutive rules is the logical form for collective intentionality playing a role, and it is also the logical form of assignment of function. the structure of institutional fact is a structure of power relations, while language is the part elements of institutional facts. Part Ⅳ evaluated the concept of institutional facts, analyzed from two questions:the philosophy’s doubt for the concept of institutional facts, and the rationality of the institutional facts.