"Common sense"? Your favorite definition/clarification?

[Pixel42]

And it is just common sense that the Sun goes around the Earth.

And that the earth is flat, of course. And that thunder and lightning means the gods are angry. Etc. See also: cognitive biases.

Common sense has proved to be a pretty poor guide to how the world really works, most of modern physics is counterintuitive. If you're trying to wrap your head round relativity or quantum theory you need to leave your common sense at the door.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

You mean misused.

The OP says "(good) sense isn't common.", implying that common sense isn't good and good sense is rare. Neither statement is true.

Common sense generally is good sense, because if it wasn't it would have no utility.

I'll stand by my evaluation.

Common sense generally is good sense, because if it wasn't it would have no utility.

"Generally" is a sweeping generalization.

And, if common sense is generally good sense then way the ambiguousness? K.I.S.S.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

FIAT: from now on anyone who uses "common sense" for "good sense" will be burned at the steak. We'll call this the Porterhouse Manifesto.

 

[Mojo]

And that the earth is flat, of course. And that thunder and lightning means the gods are angry. Etc. See also: cognitive biases.

Common sense has proved to be a pretty poor guide to how the world really works, most of modern physics is counterintuitive. If you're trying to wrap your head round relativity or quantum theory you need to leave your common sense at the door.

And in anything that might be considered opinion, "common sense" usually means a proposition that cannot be supported by rational argument.

 

[Thermal]

Definition of:- Common Sense
the basic level of practical knowledge and judgment that we all need to help us live in a reasonable and safe way:

While there is a valid point to agreed upon definitions (that unique Humpty Dumpty personal definition thingy can't logically work in communication), dictionaries are descriptive, not proscriptive. The language is a living thing, changing and morphing and evolving. The dictionary doesn't tell us what a word means; we tell it what a word means.

Example: - Anyone with any common sense would have known what to do.

That's a great example. What does the speaker mean? Is she coolly using the dictionary definition, or an alternative common usage?

Nothing to do with politics, not social enforcement, not an appeal to logic.

Pretty sure the OP question is a little tongue in cheek, otherwise it would be in the language subforum. Play with the idea if you like, ignore it if you don't, but it's not 'wrong', or bound by a definition.

 

[Mojo]

Definition of:- Common Sense
the basic level of practical knowledge and judgment that we all need to help us live in a reasonable and safe way:
Example: - Anyone with any common sense would have known what to do.

Such as what? Returning to the gold standard? Privatising the water supply in a way that controls prices but not profits? Invading Turkey at Gallipoli?

 

[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.

Bumped for those who have wandered off the thread's core.

 

[Thermal]

Bumped for those who have wandered off the thread's core.

Addressing the bump: "common" would mean "minimal, average or baseline". "Good" would be a few notches up the quality scale.

 

[Manopolus]

Definition of:- Common Sense
the basic level of practical knowledge and judgment that we all need to help us live in a reasonable and safe way:
Example: - Anyone with any common sense would have known what to do.

Nothing to do with politics, not social enforcement, not an appeal to logic.

Sorry, but I don't happen to believe that there is enough commanality in motivation and human thought processes to produce that. Reactions are going to be partially about whatever you happen to notice... which already gives you a perspective problem even before taking into account differences in upbringing, education, or culture.

And yes, it's usually a way to judge someone else's behavior against whatever the speaker considers to be the social norm (which isn't the same thing as the default). You can pretend that's a misuse if you want, but I'm pretty sure it's the only usage ever encountered in the wild (with the possible exception of 18th century literature, which is more about overexplaining).

So... you're basically seeing the actual words. I'm seeing the inaccurate assumptions behind them.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Pretty sure the OP question is a little tongue in cheek, otherwise it would be in the language subforum. Play with the idea if you like, ignore it if you don't, but it's not 'wrong', or bound by a definition.

When I was grading undergrad tests I'd dock them ten points for "lowering the level of the conversation." Nobody challenged that. Good news for them.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Addressing the bump: "common" would mean "minimal, average or baseline". "Good" would be a few notches up the quality scale.

Ah, the "common good" is the least good?

 

[Thermal]

Ah, the "common good" is the least good?

Not necessarily the least, just... you know, mediocre. Nothing special. "Good", to my ear, is a somewhat higher standard.

Like, my sensability scale might rank-

1 God tier
2 bonzer
3 razor sharp
("Good" in here somewhere)
4 sharp
5 -common-
6 a little dull
7 not the sharpest tool in the shed
8 sharp as a bowling ball
9 uses Sharpie to move weather

 

[Roger Ramjets]

Sorry, but I don't happen to believe that there is enough commanality in motivation and human thought processes to produce that.

You are arguing against the dictionary definition. You can make up a different definition if you want, but that doesn't make it the correct one.

And yes, it's usually a way to judge someone else's behavior against whatever the speaker considers to be the social norm (which isn't the same thing as the default). You can pretend that's a misuse if you want, but I'm pretty sure it's the only usage ever encountered in the wild (with the possible exception of 18th century literature, which is more about overexplaining).

Evidence?

So... you're basically seeing the actual words. I'm seeing the inaccurate assumptions behind them.

The assumptions are not inaccurate.

 

[Manopolus]

You are arguing against the dictionary definition.

There is also a dictionary definition for "dragon." That doesn't mean that dragons exist or that stories about them should be taken literally. I will admit that the dictionary definition is what people -think- they're saying, but the usage in context begs to differ, basically because that's not how reality and human behavior actually interface with each other.

And I don't need evidence. "Common sense" should tell you that I'm right, surely? I'm not explaining anything particularly complicated.

Oh, sorry, I made the mistake of assuming your brain works exactly like mine and notices all the things I do. Common human error... or "sense" if you're inobservant enough to call it that rather than noticing the cognitive dissonance and the attatched derogatory bias.

So... is the demonstration sufficient, or do I need to resort to providing evidence of someone else's opinion who has more credentials than I do? I'm sure I could find something along those lines, but it would be rather tedious and prove nothing to someone who can't work it out for themselves with the clues I've already given.

Although... I will admit that we may be speaking two entirely different languages that just happen to share the same sounds and grammatical structure, but different nuances of meaning. You can usually manage to partially rule that out through the non-verbal cues (emphasis, emotive content, expression, etc) and other surrounding context that (often quite openly) displays motive.

 

[Manopolus]

Of course, nevermind that the thread is in the "religion and philosophy" section with the title:

"Common Sense?¨ Your favorite definition/clarification?

...which suggests that the calls for evidence usually found in the science section (and woo-busting topics) might be out of place. If you want to use the philosophy of language (or linguistics) as a guide, you're insisting on the lexical definition, and I'm referring to the pragmatic usage.

There is established vocabulary for this type of disagreement, although it's not always helpful to use the big fancy words.

 

[Manopolus]

Also, my linguistic evironment may admittedly be a bit biased. I live in Kansas, where the phrase is overused/misused to an extreme degree, particularly in political discussions and workplace environments. Someone apparently decided the phrase is part of our collective identity somewhere along the line, and I don't happen to be the sort that typically goes around collecting collective identities to perform.

 

[Venom]

Whatever the people around me think is common sense

 

[TragicMonkey]

I think it's common sense that people will never agree on what is common sense.

 

[Thermal]

Sight seems like a pretty common sense?

 

[TragicMonkey]

I quit my martial arts training because I wanted a true ninja master but all I found was common sensei.