Post #2612308

Every so often, the idea of "common sense" enters the discourse arena. I haven't really visited the idea much since it seems to be a "cute catch phrase" among the right wing. I've questioned what common sense is throughout my entire life. There are things that seem self-evident to me which when tested turn out to be true. I get them easily even as autistic as I am. Others around me questioned how I arrived at a solution or answer as they couldn't see it. They don't understand it until I explained it to them typically getting the response that they would have come to the same point but a different route. From my experience "common sense" is actually a contradiction. As what "on the surface" may look like similarity or an accord can be reached from a myriad of different starting points and mean different things to different people. For example, let's say two people appear to agree on a course of action. They agree because that action makes sense to both (commonality of intent) but when it comes to implementation they can't agree on how to complete the tasks. Each person takes a different approach, and somehow they both succeed in completing it (commonality of result). The results are achieved, though results in both involve questioning the others reasoning (the contradiction pointed out earlier). Common sense, like rationality, self awareness, or other empirically based approaches are relative and as such have a high variability from one culture to another or even one geographical location to another. We are the results of choice and bias therefore what is common to one group may not be common to another. It's the journey that is the uncommon and the A and Z that form the "common sense" for us all...eventually. But when American conservatives use the term common sense, the intention is to throw out the varied approaches in favour of "one way," which to them, is the ONLY way.