Abstract

Novelties and innovations in science require tradition-bound as well as non-conventional research. Kuhn identifies them with convergent and divergent thinking. Convergent thinking is based on normal research and acceptance of a certain paradigm, while divergent thinking requires deviation from consensus-bound research. In this article, I correlate Kuhn’s view of divergent and convergent thinking with Stanley Cavell’s extension of J. L. Austin’s performative utterances with emotive utterances. Cavell extends illocutionary acts by correlating Austin’s perlocutionary acts with emotive or expressive utterances. He thinks that as different from consensus-bound illocutionary acts, non-conventional perlocutionary acts including emotive or expressive utterances provide us with moral education and insights, in this sense they help us build our autonomy. The vacillation between the two opens a space for an open-ended dialogue. The first part of the article briefly summarizes Austin’s performative utterances. The second part discusses Cavell’s contribution.