Occidental Studies

The Battlefield of Common Sense: The Triple Confrontation of Antagonistic Paradigms

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Monireh Taliehbakhsh 1
Alireza Nikouei 2

1 Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities,s University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

2 Department of Persian Language and Literature. Faculty of Literature and Humanities. University of Guilan. Rasht. Iran.

10.30465/os.2026.54314.2098
Abstract
The concept of "common sense" has undergone significant semantic and conceptual ambiguity throughout its historical evolution. This concept faces a fundamental paradox: on one hand, it is regarded as a set of universal and unquestionable "axioms," while on the other hand, historical and sociological studies consider it a "constructed" phenomenon dependent on various contexts. Aiming to elucidate this enigma, this article argues that the evolution of the concept of common sense is not a progressive trajectory but rather a scene of confrontation between antagonistic paradigms: the "Foundation of Certainty," the "Network-like Construct," and the "Construct of Power." Employing a historical-critical analysis method and focusing on the key texts of philosophers such as Moore, Wittgenstein, and Foucault, it is demonstrated that each paradigm has imposed itself as a valid approach by exposing the inadequacies of the preceding paradigm and denying its foundations. The key finding of the article reveals that the relationship between these paradigms is based not on synthesis but on a "logic of negation" and "discursive opposition." Consequently, common sense is a perpetually dynamic "battlefield" whose authority derives not from an a priori truth, but from the temporary victory of one discourse within this struggle.

Keywords

Common Sense
Epistemological Paradigms
Battlefield Logic
Social Construction
Power

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