The Claims of Common Sense

Focusing on the evolution of philosophical thought during the interwar period, the book explores how Cambridge philosophers like Moore, Ramsey, Wittgenstein, and Keynes reshaped the understanding of common sense and vague concepts in social sciences. John Coates argues that Keynes adopted ideas from Wittgenstein and Ramsey, advocating for the usefulness of vague concepts in analyzing complex social realities. He contrasts this with contemporary views on language's vagueness leading to indeterminacy, proposing a connection between Cambridge philosophy and modern theories on complexity and fuzzy logic.