"Common sense"? Your favorite definition/clarification?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

First, I always say "(good) sense isn't common."

Given the above, what's your take on the term. I'd like to stay focused on the term as used (blindly all too often) by the general public and what does that imply.

First dive into this for me, but its aggravated me for decades.

 

[junkshop]

There is no such thing. It's a myth, a fiction that people use to justify beliefs and positions that they hold, but don't want to examine too closely, because they like them.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Common sense is what I decided things are, or should be.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

No wrong answers insofar as I can tell.

 

[TragicMonkey]

I've only heard "common sense" cited when the speaker wishes to castigate someone else for lacking it.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I've only heard "common sense" cited when the speaker wishes to castigate someone else for lacking it.

There's also "Common sense says we need to do that in this situation."

 

[theprestige]

Common sense is knowing that tomatoes don't belong in a fruit salad.

 

[theprestige]

I've only heard "common sense" cited when the speaker wishes to castigate someone else for lacking it.

People having it is too commonplace to mention.

 

[Skeptical Greg]

A lot of common stuff is screwed up.

 

[arthwollipot]

Common sense is knowing that tomatoes don't belong in a fruit salad.

Isn't a tomato salad just salsa?

 

[theprestige]

If you have to ask...

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

The one I'm happy with is Einstein's quote on the subject, "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen".

 

[psionl0]

"Common sense" (in theory) means that the truth of an argument is so self evident that it doesn't need to be justified.

 

[Thermal]

Tom Paine's debut best seller.

 

[Trebuchet]

I just assume anyone claiming to be using it is an idiot.

 

[Dave Rogers]

I seem to remember reading that "common sense" originally didn't mean "Bleedin' obvious innit," it referred to things that we can all, in common, sense. It doesn't need to be argued that the sky is blue, because we all have the experience in common of sensing the blue sky. Unfortunately I don't remember where that came from.

Dave