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Common sense (n.): sound and prudent judgement based on the simple perception of the situation and facts.

From Aristotle’s initial observation in De Anima portraying common sense as a sixth sense to Kant’s Kritik der Urteilskraft, which depicts it as a priori subjective principle of judgement, sensus communis has undergone many reinterpretations as different philosophers developed their own understandings of the concept.

In 350 B.C., Aristotle introduced the term sensus communis, more commonly known as common sense. He proposed common sense as a specialized, central cognitive ability that acts as a sixth sense, combing the five main senses. Based of Aristotle’s ideas, philosophers such as Cicero, Descartes, and Kant began to contribute their own interpretations as well.

A renowned author and orator, Cicero viewed common sense primarily through the lens of rhetoric. He believed successful orators used common sense to persuade an audience by creating a collective, intuitive sense of social belonging. In contrast, Descartes adopted a more analytical perspective, believing it to be an anatomical and physiological mechanism in the brain allowing it to process sensory information.

Kant expanded on the concept in his book commonly known as The Third Critique. His discussion on common sense explored the concept as a normative ideal for society, enabling people to consider perspectives outside of their own. Intriguingly, Kant thought of common sense as a universal human capacity for judgement, allowing people to anticipate how others may respond to different situations.

Although philosophers have many different perspectives on common sense, their views are united by the idea that it plays a fundamental role in human social life. Common sense allows humans to perceive, interpret, and respond to the world through a shared understanding of reality making the concept a building block for social life.

There is no ‘correct’ way to understand common sense; instead, its continuous significance lies in its ability to be interpreted differently across different philosopher and eras while continuing to shape how humans perceive, judge, and connect with one another.