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Common Sense

Have you ever met someone who claimed to graduate from 'x' university or college but yet they lack the fundamental thinking capacity that should be readily apparent with someone of that level of education or even less? Common sense in the most basic of terms can be considered the ability to find solutions and/or make correct choices based on thinking things thru. Do you believe common sense can be learnt? If so, how? Should there be a class for it?

Sense Common

I have met too many people who were college educated but lacked simple common sense. I dont profess to be the epitome of common sense, but I dont think that it is something that can be learned. Either you have it or you dont. I do believe though that as people age, and go through more experiences in life, their common sense increases.

Common Sense UFO & Writing Art Education Sciences

Same here, my pat little description is Educated Fools.

I disagree here, I feel that common sense is learned. And in your last sentence so do you malexander:

I think that when parents take an active role in parenting they automatically teach their children common sense. When a child takes a screwdriver and pokes it into the wall outlet , the parent runs and takes the screwdriver away and tells them NO, that will hurt you. As the child gets older the parent reinforces the No, that will hurt you because that is electricity and it will shock you. Or, no ~ don't touch will hurt baby. Later as the child gets older it is don't touch the burner when it is on it will burn you. You teach the child how to tell when it is hot, and that hot will hurt.

I use the electrical example because it happened to me. I remember the time when I took the table knife and went to put it into the wall outlet. I wanted to *divert* the electrical *juice* and have it pour out on the floor. Dad was talking about the outlet and that the *juice* was on. I was 5 at the time. They caught me before I got the blade in the outlet. Later when I was 7, Dad explained electricity and *juice*. Then he showed me what shock was by having me touch my tongue to a 9 volt battery. It shocked me, but didn't hurt me. Dad explained that electricty in the outlet and electrical appliances that were plugged in would shock me, but they would be 100 X more powerful. Strong enough to toss me across the room and possibly kill me. Do Not Touch. I never touched! To me that is the learning of common sense.

I have common sense ~ and I credit that knowledge to my parents teaching me, and taking the invaluable time to explain everything to me. Up to and including the whys behind the discipline.

And Yes, there should be a certificate given for common sense!

Edited: AGene on 5th Aug, 2004 - 7:14am

Sense Common

I'm not a great supporter of professionalism.

I don't mean that in the behavourial sense (acting professionally = honourably/reliably), I mean it in the philosophical sense.

Professionalism is the teaching that you can't do certain things unless you are approved by a somewhat elite group who determine what the necessary standard is. This has two problems: firstly, it can ostracize those who they do not wish to recognise and it can create the problem of someone being given influence who, though they have the certificate, they have no real character qualities (such as common sense) to deal with it.

"Educated" is more about life and personal study than anything formal. Yes, we can take advantage of formal education but those who treat it as the be-and-end-all of education are, to my mind, not whole in their education by a long shot.

I believe people do have different levels of common sense, but common sense needs defining perhaps before more could be said?

Dubhdara.

Sense Common

I'm not so sure that it is learned throughout life. From what I've seen in life, those blessed with a very high intelligence seem to lack in the common sense department. Some seem to overcome this, and yet, I've witnessed several that have not. Examples include my older sister who was just in an accident that gave her a minor concussion. The cause of the accident, speeding and wearing high heels while driving. (a strap from her high heels got caught on the accelerator and she couldn't get her foot of the gas to brake). Very intelligent woman she's just gotten her PHD in pychology. However, she said she's learned her lesson and will watch her speeding from now on. She still wants to drive while wearing high heels. . . .

Common Sense

I meet a number of people like this, most of them I have found to be vocal and outspoken. Most times they announce their education / background and tend to do a lot of opinionated talking without fact finding. The main problem is that having a degree means you have been schooled in specific academic subjects, in other words you have not been endowed with all knowledge or knowing everything. The main thing here is pride and self-elevation above those who they believe are less educated or not as knowledgeable. I believe they have forgotten that the best of common sense is do less talking and more listening. Common sense is something you have to grasp from observation. Most people that do a lot of talking are not very observant and therefore miss half of life's lessons.