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Is there even such a thing as "common sense"?

Is there even such a thing as "common sense"?

  • Yes

    Votes: 15 42.9%

  • No

    Votes: 11 31.4%

  • To a certain degree

    Votes: 8 22.9%

  • Other

    Votes: 1 2.9%
  • Total voters
    35
longview said:
In Jarrod Diamond's Guns Germs and Steel, he made a connection between intelligence,
and how close someone lives to a dangerous environment.
I think this had more to do with the not so intelligent people getting weeded out early.
He implied modern civilization, did not improve intelligence, as our structured society
allowed the not so intelligent to not only survive, but propagate.
Click to expand...

and started us on the road to.... Idiocracy?
 
Sure...it even has a political leader...

ron-paul-1-sized.jpg
 
Beaudreaux said:
Common sense requires critical thought. Something that is no longer taught in our schools. I wonder why? Maybe because the powers that be would prefer a populous that lacks the ability to perform critical thought or analysis?

When I was in school (college) one the courses I enjoyed the most was a course called "Critical Thinking." Every citizen of the US should be required to take such a course, as well as a course in Civics - another course that is no longer taught in public schools (and that makes me wonder why as well). In the military, we were also taught critical thinking skills. Part of that course was focused on checking, determining and defining our SA (situational awareness). Something that is sorely needed by the civilian population as well.

On the other hand, there is something I call "Country Boy Common Sense." That, too, is learned. It is gained by growing up on a farm where you have to learn how to do so much for so long with so little, that you are then qualified to anything with nothing. In other words, you learn to make things work to fit the need and make do. You learn to question everything and never take no for an answer or to give up because it's just too damned hard. You learn to... think.

Thinking is a taught skill, not an innate talent.
Click to expand...

Well said, sir.

My (very) short version to the way things are taught in school these days is:

They teach what to think, now how to think.
 
radcen said:
Is there even such a thing as "common sense"?

One would think so, but as I interact and observe more and more, the less I think it exists at all. Even the simplest things no one can agree on. So, what's 'common' about anything?

No. The older I get the more I think "common sense" is merely something we want to believe in.
Click to expand...

There isn't such a thing as "common sense" in the way that most people think of it as. The reason being is simple. "common sense" is subjective. Since there is not one person in the world that thinks exactly the same everybody's "common sense" will be different.
 
longview said:
In Jarrod Diamond's Guns Germs and Steel, he made a connection between intelligence,
and how close someone lives to a dangerous environment.
I think this had more to do with the not so intelligent people getting weeded out early.
He implied modern civilization, did not improve intelligence, as our structured society
allowed the not so intelligent to not only survive, but propagate.
Click to expand...

Dittohead not! said:
and started us on the road to.... Idiocracy?
Click to expand...

Jared Diamond did not make any argument that comes close to that.

His thesis was that the success or failure of various civilizations was most directly related to geography
 
sangha said:
Jared Diamond did not make any argument that comes close to that.

His thesis was that the success or failure of various civilizations was most directly related to geography
Click to expand...
He was talking about how the primitive New Guinea people were quite a bit more intelligent
than the average westerner, and speculated that basically the dumb died quick.

Intelligent people are likelier than less intelligent ones to escape those causes of high mortality (murder, chronic tribal warfare, accidents, problems procuring food..) in traditional New Guinean societies. However, the differential mortality from epidemic diseases in traditional European societies had little to do with intelligence,
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
longview said:
He was talking about how the primitive New Guinea people were quite a bit more intelligent
than the average westerner, and speculated that basically the dumb died quick.
Click to expand...

The sentence you quoted does not say that primitive NG people were more intelligent than the average westerner. Nor does it show that "He implied modern civilization, did not improve intelligence, as our structured society allowed the not so intelligent to not only survive, but propagate."
 
radcen said:
Is there even such a thing as "common sense"?

One would think so, but as I interact and observe more and more, the less I think it exists at all. Even the simplest things no one can agree on. So, what's 'common' about anything?

No. The older I get the more I think "common sense" is merely something we want to believe in.
Click to expand...
Common sense is basically accepted cultural assumptions. It will change from culture to culture
 
longview said:
He was talking about how the primitive New Guinea people were quite a bit more intelligent
than the average westerner, and speculated that basically the dumb died quick.
Click to expand...
His quote said that new guinea and old Europe had different survival selection criteria. One being intelligence and the other being disease resistance
 
tacomancer said:
Diamonds quote
Click to expand...

Ahh, OK

Diamond merely described how the conditions which increased mortality in NG (ex murder, chronic tribal warfare, accidents, problems procuring food.) were things for which intelligence could be used to avoid. In contrast, the thing that was causing mortality in Europe (ie disease) is not affected by intelligence.

He said nothing about Europeans or Americans eliminating the effect of intelligence on natural selection. That's nothing more than an old trope Social Darwinists like to trot out from time to time.

Intelligent people are likelier than less intelligent ones to escape those causes of high mortality (murder, chronic tribal warfare, accidents, problems procuring food..) in traditional New Guinean societies. However, the differential mortality from epidemic diseases in traditional European societies had little to do with intelligence,
Click to expand...
 
sangha said:
Ahh, OK

Diamond merely described how the conditions which increased mortality in NG (ex murder, chronic tribal warfare, accidents, problems procuring food.) were things for which intelligence could be used to avoid. In contrast, the thing that was causing mortality in Europe (ie disease) is not affected by intelligence.

He said nothing about Europeans or Americans eliminating the effect of intelligence on natural selection. That's nothing more than an old trope Social Darwinists like to trot out from time to time.
Click to expand...
I never mentioned social Darwinism
 
sangha said:
No, you didn't and neither did Diamond

longview did.
Click to expand...
OK but my comment on Jared's quote had nothing to with long view I merelky summarized what diamond said,, the two regions had different selection criteria
 
tacomancer said:
Then why did you disagree initially?
Click to expand...

SO I went back to look because I don't remember disagreeing with you but sure enough, there's a post where I quote you and said you're wrong.

My apologies. I cut and pasted the wrong quote. I didn't mean to disagree with you. You were right.
 
Dittohead not! said:
Spoken by someone who has no idea at all what schools are mandated to teach in the 21st. century.
Click to expand...

Ok, let's think about it :

- how much time in school is spent on critical thought? Maybe a section of one or two classes in high school?
- how much time is spent on direct question and answers? The other 97% of the time?
- how much class time is spent learning the skills to start and run a business? Virtually zero?

Then with standardized testing, it's become worse, now you don't learn the subject beyond studying to pass the test so the school maintains funding levels...

Now with common core, where you don't even have to answer questions correctly so long as you can explain how you came to the wrong answer...

Or like the high school I went to, when I was in class there, it was one class room that was reserved for special ed... Now, it's an entire wing of the school.
 
BmanMcfly said:
Ok, let's think about it :

- how much time in school is spent on critical thought? Maybe a section of one or two classes in high school?
- how much time is spent on direct question and answers? The other 97% of the time?
- how much class time is spent learning the skills to start and run a business? Virtually zero?

Then with standardized testing, it's become worse, now you don't learn the subject beyond studying to pass the test so the school maintains funding levels...

Now with common core, where you don't even have to answer questions correctly so long as you can explain how you came to the wrong answer...

Or like the high school I went to, when I was in class there, it was one class room that was reserved for special ed... Now, it's an entire wing of the school.
Click to expand...

Suspicions confirmed.
 
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