The author introduces Searle’s ideas in the round, while also testing and exploring their implications. It begins with an examination of Searle’s work on the philosophy of language, and goes on to deal with philosophy of mind and outlines Searle’s ideas on intentional states. It introduces his notions of background and network , his claims for the often unrecoginzed imporatance of consciousness, and examines his attacks on other current philosophical states of mind, such as materialism, functionalism, and strong AI.