because common sense is not common
In some of our discussions/debates/arguments/bitching sessions about education, Prof Ben/overlord/slave-driver supremo/Dr. Obvious would ask this question "how do we teach common sense?"
My reply will always be "Whose common sense?"
I'm sure most of you would have heard him say something like this to death - Common sense is not common. That is why it needs to be taught.
Truthfully, that quote came from the field of anthropology. It is rather, a way of saying that different cultures have different psyche and mindsets. What is common sense to them is not common sense to us or other cultures. Chewy's talk has shown: What's common sense to the Indian family featured is not common sense to us. What's common sense to me about the origin of the burning smell in the air these days is not common sense to other people (it's not from Indonesia by the way).
That is why my reply to him is always as such - whose common sense? After all, when faced with criticisms about his theory of relativity not makeing sense to common sense, Einstein would respond by saying if we all lived in space and travelled at the speed of light for the first 10 years of our lives, the theory of relativity will make perfect sense, and what we understand to be common sense now will be senseless.
Thus, the question should not be "how do we teach common sense", but rather, "how do we teach what is common sense to me/us?" And given that it is not as common as what we think, should we drop the term "common" then?
I'm not suggesting that there are no set of "sense" (which usually consist of norms, practices, values and mindsets) that is common in a given society. But this is where we have to make the distinction: is it common sense only to me, or to the society as well?
If it is not as common, why do we still attach "common" to "sense" then? Is it because it legitimise our "sense" over others to over-ride theirs? If our "sense" should reign over others', why can't we do it base on its own merit, and need to claim its apparent common-ness to convince others?
That is why I cringe sometimes, when people say "it's common sense what!". I think "it is better sense what!" would be better.
PS: I'm rambling. Don't take it too seriously, but my rough point is there lah. It's partly about UI design too!
My reply will always be "Whose common sense?"
I'm sure most of you would have heard him say something like this to death - Common sense is not common. That is why it needs to be taught.
Truthfully, that quote came from the field of anthropology. It is rather, a way of saying that different cultures have different psyche and mindsets. What is common sense to them is not common sense to us or other cultures. Chewy's talk has shown: What's common sense to the Indian family featured is not common sense to us. What's common sense to me about the origin of the burning smell in the air these days is not common sense to other people (it's not from Indonesia by the way).
That is why my reply to him is always as such - whose common sense? After all, when faced with criticisms about his theory of relativity not makeing sense to common sense, Einstein would respond by saying if we all lived in space and travelled at the speed of light for the first 10 years of our lives, the theory of relativity will make perfect sense, and what we understand to be common sense now will be senseless.
Thus, the question should not be "how do we teach common sense", but rather, "how do we teach what is common sense to me/us?" And given that it is not as common as what we think, should we drop the term "common" then?
I'm not suggesting that there are no set of "sense" (which usually consist of norms, practices, values and mindsets) that is common in a given society. But this is where we have to make the distinction: is it common sense only to me, or to the society as well?
If it is not as common, why do we still attach "common" to "sense" then? Is it because it legitimise our "sense" over others to over-ride theirs? If our "sense" should reign over others', why can't we do it base on its own merit, and need to claim its apparent common-ness to convince others?
That is why I cringe sometimes, when people say "it's common sense what!". I think "it is better sense what!" would be better.
PS: I'm rambling. Don't take it too seriously, but my rough point is there lah. It's partly about UI design too!
Labels: musings from sessions
posted by mr luo at
08:08
5 Comments:
I suspect that we're not talking about the same time. What I refer to common sense is actually the ability to make (the right) connections rapidly and it's pretty culture-independent.
Simple example: boy puts hand in flame, boy gets burnt. Common sense tells boy NOT to put hand into flame again. :-)
There might be some cultural factors into how and what connections are being made -- but that doesn't take away from the fact that many people don't seem to be able to make those connections.
Am I making any sense?
@Boss:
I do agree that making connections rapidly can be quite culture-independent, but the problem what determines to be the "right" connections.
For simple things that endanger your life, I think the "right connection" is quite culturally independent. Don't do means you die, that one quite standard I think.
But what about the more complex connections? Is the "right" connection in these case culturally independent, or similar to different people?
An example of a more complex connection gone wrong, not sure if it is representative of the connections that you have in mind.
Common Sense to others: Haze from past experiences came from forest fires in Sumatra. Therefore, the haze recently is from forest fires in Sumatra. Damn you neighbour.
Common Sense to me: SE Monsoon Winds are not blowing yet. Even if there is forest burning there, how to bring it over?
@yanjie: From Indiana University's Human Intelligence testing site:
Robert J. Sternberg proposes three intelligences in human cognition.
* Analytical intelligence is the ability to analyze and evaluate ideas, solve problems and make decisions.
* Creative intelligence involves going beyond what is given to generate novel and interesting ideas.
* Practical intelligence is the ability that individuals use to find the best fit between themselves and the demands of the environment.
Practical intelligence is the academic term for 'common sense', and it does exist.
I know this only because my sister has more common sense than I do. She doesn't, for instance, let food thaw on the floor.
@Cedric,
not arguing that there is no such thing as practical intelligence/common sense, just that finding "the best fit" is not as common as we think of it to be. Each way of "best fit" is probably just sense, and common only to us or a particular group. Thus, I'll argue that it can be ego-centric and/or ethnocentric to declare some of these sense as "common".
For example: from the scene in Avatar
When darkness fall in the forest (demands of the environment), Jake's common sense say start a fire to scare off animals. (his best fit)
But to the Na'vi, common sense dictates that you should lay as low as possible and keep quiet.
Although there are sense that is indeed common (like do not stab yourself with a knife or the hand burning example from Prof Ben), the only ones I can think of are very simple. But when it gets more complex (like UI, or some of what Prof Ben is trying to teach), I'll argue that it is less common as it depends on individual's experience.
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