What is "Common Sense?"

Pretty much information that is commonly known.

I never gave it much thought but "common" to me refers to the general population, say 100 people polled would think. I would not attach it to super brain buster issues rather to low key issues like wait for the light to turn red before crossing. Actually what is "sense"? Remove it from common and what do you have? Good question Paxaeon. Could the answer be what our parents believed we did not possess growing up?

Nice to see another Badger on line.

I agree with the definition. But this can also be cultural or regional in nature not necessarily universal.

Paxaeon said:

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Common sense is a basic ability to perceive, understand, and judge things, which is shared by ("common to") nearly all people, and can be reasonably expected of nearly all people without any need for debate. - source​

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While I don't necessarily agree with that definition, it makes a good starting point. Specifically, can or is the phrase common sense being perverted by ideology? The argument of how common sense, or lack thereof, affects behavior is one thing but to be used as an ideological "catch all" when arguing or debating politics and ideology, is another.

What say ye?

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Shared cultural assumptions from what I can tell. I have seen any number of people spouting nonsense as common sense, because that nonsense may be true for who the person typically associates with. This would be the more subjective view

Common sense has to be supported by what a group might agree to as facts (for some evolution is a fact while for others creationism is a fact, for example) and without those facts (which might be more accurate to call basic assumptions) than the idea of common sense falls apart. This, I think, is why people tend to say "common sense isn't common" when it would be more accurate to say "this other person isn't sharing you assumptions about life and is therefore reaching conclusions other than what you would consider obvious". Alternatively, some things are shared by all cultures (fire is hot). This would be the more objective view

At least this is what I see as powering the phenomenon behind common sense. If I don't share much in common with the next guy, then the obvious stuff to him and obvious stuff to me are going to be completely different.

Paxaeon said:

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Would people agree that one of the things that defines and differentiates common sense" is culture, nationalism, religion, personal ideology?

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nationalism .because everyone needs to defend their own house...

what is common sense

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It's a commodity that is in short supply in DC.