Can common sense knowledge be common? On Thomas Reid’s self-evident truths from the perspective of anthropological linguistics
Can common sense knowledge be common? On Thomas Reid’s self-evident truths from the perspective of anthropological linguistics

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the paper is to consider from the perspective of contemporary anthropological linguistics the plausibility of universal, self-evident truths based on innate principles of cognition as they were propounded by Thomas Reid in his philosophy of common sense. The key problem is whether it is possible to trace any innate principles that would underlie common sense, practical knowledge and comprise truths which are self-evident, clear and directly accessible to all members of homo sapiens. Reid’s assumptions are considered in the light of contemporary research on the conceptualization of colour, basic emotions, ethnobotany and spatial cognition.

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