Is there such a thing as Common Sense?
Is there such a thing as common sense if there is a need for signs like this? If common sense is common shouldn't we all know exactly what common sense is? I'm reminded every time I leave my house and go into public, that my common sense isn't very common. I would never eat at McDonalds, but there is always a line of cars at the drive thru. I would never feed or try to take a selfie with dangerous wild animals, but people do... even when there is signs that say not to. I could go on and on and on.... Maybe I have no common sense.
I would never try this.
Here are some definitions to Common Sense:
- Merriam Webster: sound and prudent judgement on a simple perception of the situation or fact.
- Oxford Dictionaries: good sense and sound judgement in practical matters.
- The Urban Dictionary(which is alway good for a laugh)#1 entry: Common sense is what-I-think people should know.
How can there be common sense if we all have different levels of education, knowledge, life experiences, perception of reality and consciousness? All of these, in my opinion, are going to play a role in what others might use to form their perception of what common sense is. If that is the case is it really common?
The majority of us do share some common senses, sight, touch, smell, hearing and taste. At the same time does someone see the colors in the same way I do? Obviously we don't share a taste in food and and don't enjoy the same smells. So the only thing common about our common senses is... we have senses.
These are ideas that have been bouncing around in my head for a long time and I've come to a conclusion. I don't believe there is common sense. Maybe I say that because my common sense doesn't make sense to most, which means I have no common sense. Or I think everyones common sense is unique to their own experience, which wouldn't make it very common.
What do you think? Am I missing something huge? Do you have a different opinion?
Thanks for reading my ramble...
Brandon
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I liken "common sense" to "self preservation." So in the interest of self preservation, maybe one should not pet the big toothy animal. In the interest of self preservation, one should not consume poisonous laundry detergent. The two big hijacks to common sense/self preservation I see are 1. actual ignorance (like, the person is generally slow on the uptake in everything) and 2. willful ignorance. Like the person above motorbiking through the fire...they have the "common sense" (and likely the sad experience) to know it's dangerous, they're just choosing to ignore it and do it anyway.
Yes! .... or eat McDonalds. Most living creatures have some sort of self preservation built in. Maybe common sense would be part of our natural instinct.....I didn't think about it that way.
I'm really interested in phrases or words and how others view them. This was my first attempt. Thank you for your insight.
I read once about an IQ test that asked a question something like "How many feet are in a city block". Some one like me who has never lived in a city would have no idea what he answer is, but for someone who lives in a city this would be "common sense". So I think you are spot on. What can be considered common sense is determined by the place you live and the community you interact with.
Right! Community and family should be big factors in the development ones common sense. Thanks for the comment.