This book investigates the fundamental disconnect between traditional computational models and the actual nature of human cognition and language. Fernando Flores and Terry Winograd, drawing on their expertise in computer science and linguistics, argue that current design methodologies fail because they rely on an overly simplistic, rationalistic view of human action. They propose a new foundation for design based on the philosophy of language and phenomenology, shifting the focus from information processing to the facilitation of human communication and social interaction.

Experts frequently cite this work as a foundational text that challenged the prevailing paradigms of artificial intelligence during the 1980s. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which requires a strong background in philosophy to fully grasp the authors' arguments.