Finding common ground can be a rarity, as it warrants encounters with people who have similar backgrounds. With the vast amount of cultures, religions, and experiences people may have, every upbringing and sense of common reactions will be different. Moral and ethical structures play a key role in the development of one's common sense, leaving the true meaning of common sense to be obscure across all walks of life. As stated in the book, "the only common sense is the realization that there is no universal common sense"(p.65). The phrase "common sense" is the ultimate paradox itself and is left for the beholders to resolve its framework.
Monday, October 5, 2015
Chapter 4: Common Sense
While reading chapter 4, one thing became apparent, and it is that common sense is really anything but common. The book contends that common sense is derived from "a background of experiences from which we draw our ideas and insights for decision making", and that "the common comes from the familiar"(p.64). With this being said, what is familiar to one may be unfamiliar to another, thus creating a large amount of uncertainty surrounding the idea of what "common sense" really is. Contrasting backgrounds and experiences make it difficult to decipher what the acceptable response should be in an ethical situation. As people continue to grow and experience more, the pool of what is considered common sense expands. This creates even more room for conflict, as commonalities are further differentiated among people in society.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with you Austin that common sense is really a bad term with little weight, I think the better term is commonalities. What you are raised with and who you are raised with is your common core group of influences, but your environment plays a much bigger part in that development of "common sense". Your peer group will tend to replicate what you are already learning. In 6th grade one of my friends in elementary school was named Amanda, and one day at school we were given a letter to give to our parents and to discuss things with them, we were told in that letter that the family that Amanda belonged to had been arrested for child porn and sexual abuse, and that Amanda and her sister were being sent to foster care and the family was facing multiple charges of abuse. The letter asked families to try and answer questions of their kids and then to consider the school as a resource if they want to discuss anything. My mom was horrified by the letter but not because of sadness about Amanda and her family, my mom was horrified that the school thought anyone needed to know anything about the family, my mom is extremely private and for her that pushed all of her buttons of someone using no "common sense". She threw the letter in the garbage and said "We hope the family gets help but we will not be discussing this as a family." My mom's own very quiet and reserved background created her "common sense footprint" and she was willing to share that with us as kids and to try and cultivate that same common sense in my brother and I.
I agree with you. Common sense would vary widely with gender, religion and culture. That is why I don’t like the phrase “It is common sense.” If we were grown up in same environment and had experienced same things, our common sense would be clearer. Since I am an international student from Japan, my common sense is sometimes different from other students in the United States. For example, when I came here for the first time, I did not know that we are supposed to give servers a tip at restaurants. When I stood up to leave the restaurant, a waitress seemed to get angry. For her, I was a person without common sense. Common sense is not what we were born with, so knowledge and practices form it in our mind unconsciously.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, common sense helps us to establish order. We do not make a noise in theater room while watching a film because we know it makes others annoyed. Without common sense, we would live in chaos and have to make more detailed rules to restrict our behavior. Even though culture makes different common sense, we can understand and understand others’ culture under their common sense. Knowledge and practice make it possible.