“Why, this Logic is nothing but Common Sense!” – E.E.C. Jones on Ordinary Language and Common Sense

Abstract

Recent years have seen a budging interest in the work of Emily Elizabeth Constance Jones (1848–1922), a British philosopher on the cusp of early analytic philosophy. Most publications about Jones, however, focus on her contributions to logic and the philosophy of language. Jones’ methodological remarks, interspersed throughout her writings, have yet been underappreciated. I argue that a careful examination of these remarks paints a picture of a philosopher who, in her consideration of ordinary language and her emphasis on common sense, was well ahead of her time.

Inga Bones

Postdoc