Difference between revisions of "Common sense"
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(Created page with "==About== Common sense may refer to the following: # a shared understanding of reality, a "common sense" of what that reality is - ''a common sense that the world is very...") |
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[[Common sense]] may refer to the following: | [[Common sense]] may refer to the following: | ||
# a shared understanding of reality, a "common sense" of what that reality is - ''a common sense that the world is very messed up'' | # a shared understanding of reality, a "common sense" of what that reality is - ''a common sense that the world is very messed up'' | ||
| + | #* As society has become more splintered by the existence of niche media which are allowed to propagate inaccurate information, groups having a shared "common sense" of reality have become more and more fragmented. | ||
# a strong intuitive feeling, not necessarily accurate, that something is obvious - ''you can't change genders; that's just common sense'' or (conversely) ''you can't get free energy by plugging a power-strip into itself; that's just common sense'' | # a strong intuitive feeling, not necessarily accurate, that something is obvious - ''you can't change genders; that's just common sense'' or (conversely) ''you can't get free energy by plugging a power-strip into itself; that's just common sense'' | ||
| + | #* This may consist of: | ||
| + | #** a set of simple heuristics (rules/guidelines) that are usually (but not always) right | ||
| + | #** beliefs the speaker has been taught since childhood | ||
| + | ==Misuse== | ||
| + | The phrase can also be misused as an [[argument from normality]] or [[argument from popular belief]]: | ||
| + | * A belief exists which is deemed "common sense". | ||
| + | ** This assumes that what one has been taught must be true, and ignores evidence to the contrary. | ||
| + | * Evidence which contradicts that belief is dismissed as "not common sense". | ||
| + | ** This assumes that since the heuristics don't mention any exceptions, the exceptions must not exist. | ||
| − | + | Both of these are cases of [[mistaking the map for the territory]]. | |
Latest revision as of 14:35, 26 December 2019
About
Common sense may refer to the following:
- a shared understanding of reality, a "common sense" of what that reality is - a common sense that the world is very messed up
- As society has become more splintered by the existence of niche media which are allowed to propagate inaccurate information, groups having a shared "common sense" of reality have become more and more fragmented.
- a strong intuitive feeling, not necessarily accurate, that something is obvious - you can't change genders; that's just common sense or (conversely) you can't get free energy by plugging a power-strip into itself; that's just common sense
- This may consist of:
- a set of simple heuristics (rules/guidelines) that are usually (but not always) right
- beliefs the speaker has been taught since childhood
- This may consist of:
Misuse
The phrase can also be misused as an argument from normality or argument from popular belief:
- A belief exists which is deemed "common sense".
- This assumes that what one has been taught must be true, and ignores evidence to the contrary.
- Evidence which contradicts that belief is dismissed as "not common sense".
- This assumes that since the heuristics don't mention any exceptions, the exceptions must not exist.
Both of these are cases of mistaking the map for the territory.