ABSTRACT
With the notion of common sense already established and an explanation of common sense as a paradigm of thought provided, this chapter offers theoretical explanations regarding the nature of common sense since the time of the ancient Greeks through the early twentieth century. We will discover that, over time, social thinkers have quite different perspectives about the character of common sense. Ancient Greek scholars were among the earliest social thinkers who attempted to explain common sense; they were also among the first to question its legitimacy as a paradigm of thought as they questioned the validity of how knowledge is attained. Analysis begins with Parmenides (an influence on Plato), who thought common-sense thinking is full of illogical rationale; through the skepticism of Descartes and Hume; moving on to Reid, Moore, Russell, Paine, Marx, Weber, and Mills; and, extending to schools of thought of symbolic interactionism, phenomenology, and ethnomethodology.
