Common Sense: A Political History

Rosenfeld's central thesis is that common sense is not a timeless, universal faculty but a historically contingent political concept. She shows that in the eighteenth century, thinkers such as Thomas Reid and the Scottish Common Sense philosophers developed common sense as a response to skepticism, arguing that certain self-evident truths are accessible to all people. This idea was then appropriated by revolutionary figures like Thomas Paine, who used common sense to justify democratic rebellion against monarchy. Rosenfeld contends that common sense has served as a rhetorical device to legitimize popular sovereignty, but it has also been used to exclude those deemed lacking in it, such as women, the uneducated, and non-Europeans.

The book traces common sense from its Enlightenment roots through the French Revolution, where it became a weapon against aristocratic privilege, to the nineteenth century, when it was linked to nationalism and the rise of mass democracy. Rosenfeld examines how common sense was later deployed by totalitarian regimes in the twentieth century, such as Nazism, which used it to reject intellectualism and justify anti-Semitic policies. She also discusses the post-war period, where common sense became a conservative trope against progressive social change, culminating in its use in contemporary populist movements that distrust scientific expertise and elite institutions.

Rosenfeld highlights the role of women in the history of common sense, noting that while common sense was often gendered masculine, women writers like Catharine Macaulay used it to argue for women's political inclusion. She also explores the influence of common sense on the American founding, showing that the Declaration of Independence's appeal to self-evident truths was directly inspired by Scottish philosophy. Additionally, the book examines the use of common sense in advertising and consumer culture, where it was used to sell products as practical and down-to-earth. Rosenfeld also points out that common sense has been a global phenomenon, with parallels in Chinese and Islamic thought, though she focuses primarily on the Western tradition.

Common Sense: A Political History was widely reviewed and praised for its interdisciplinary approach, combining intellectual history, political theory, and cultural analysis. It won the Mark Lynton History Prize, which recognizes accessible and engaging historical writing. The book has been cited in debates about populism, post-truth politics, and the role of expertise in democracy, making it a key reference for scholars and commentators. Rosenfeld's work has also been compared to that of Hannah Arendt, who similarly explored the political uses of common sense, though Rosenfeld offers a more critical and genealogical account.

Common Sense

A faculty of practical judgment or shared belief, historically invoked as a political authority.

Scottish Common Sense Realism

A philosophical school led by Thomas Reid that argued for the existence of self-evident truths accessible to all.

Populism

A political approach that pits the common people against an elite, often using common sense as a rhetorical tool.