This work of linguistic philosophy attempts to reorient the reader's understanding of sincerity. The book begins by taking a defensive stance against criticism that Cavell's teacher, J.L. Austin, had received in response to his own work. From Austin's work, Cavell takes his thesis's starting point: that humans use language in a way that is ordinary, which is a philosophical word meaning that humans connote meaning instead of intending it.
The book then examines David Poole's The Later Philosophy of Wittgenstein, criticizing Poole's writing. He feels that Poole completely misunderstood Wittgenstein's later philosophy. Wittgenstein is a historically difficult philosopher to analyze, because his ideas morph as he ages, so that his later philosophy can sometimes be seen as the complete opposite of his earlier writings. Cavell says that Poole's work only hurt the efforts of understanding Wittgenstein's perspective.
Finally, Cavell analyzes the current and historical use of language as an artistic medium, understanding art theory and linguistic theory to be closely related, because they both intend to express meaning. He says that all linguistic endeavors have philosophical merit in the conversation about what human language is and how it's used.
