ABSTRACT
Now it is true that the language of everyday life would not be adequate for the sciences mentioned by Russell, but is that because it is vague and inaccurate? What a person says in ordinary language is sometimes vague or inaccurate, but then the fault does not lie in the language: it lies in his or her use of it, and here too lies the remedy. In ordinary conversation we often ask people to be more precise or accurate and this demand can usually be met perfectly well within the resources of ordinary language and without resorting to a special terminology. Similarly, if there is vagueness or inaccuracy in a philosopher’s statements, then he can be asked to clarify his meaning in ordinary language; and we might become suspicious if he is unable or unwilling to do this.
