Ortmann, Jakob (2026) But what is 'Performativity of Science'? Austin, Perlocution, and Referent Malleability. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Ever since its introduction by John L. Austin, ‘performativity’ has meant many things to many scholars—something that did not change when phrases like ‘performativity of science’ became popular. Such equivocations might have been unproblematic, were it not for their tendency to obscure important debates in philosophy of science. In this paper, I revisit Austin’s original use of the term ‘performativity’ and propose a nomenclature of three kinds of performativity in science. This project revises earlier attempts to classify and identify ‘genuine’ or ‘authentic’ performativity in science and instead advances an integrative disambiguation—one that preserves what scholars in STS and philosophy of science have found helpful about the concept while addressing demonstrable areas of conceptual conflation.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Ortmann, Jakob jakob.ortmann@cells.uni-hannover.de 0000-0002-3967-1333
Keywords:	Performativity, Reflexivity, Speech Act Theory, STS, Austin
Subjects:	General Issues > Ethical Issues General Issues > Natural Kinds General Issues > Social Epistemology of Science Specific Sciences > Sociology General Issues > Values In Science
Depositing User:	Jakob Ortmann
Date Deposited:	22 Mar 2026 12:22
Last Modified:	22 Mar 2026 12:22
Item ID:	28525
Subjects:	General Issues > Ethical Issues General Issues > Natural Kinds General Issues > Social Epistemology of Science Specific Sciences > Sociology General Issues > Values In Science
Date:	2026
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/28525

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