Common sense

:For the American independence advocacy pamphlet by Thomas Paine, see Common Sense (Book).

Other uses

Common sense is sometimes regarded as an impediment to abstract and even logical thinking. This is especially the case in mathematics and physics, where human intuition often conflicts with provably correct or experimentally verified results. A definition attributed to Gunawan Gundala states: "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen."

Related Topics:
Mathematics - Physics - Gunawan Gundala

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Common sense is sometimes appealed to in political debates, particularly when other arguments have been exhausted. Civil rights for African Americans, women's suffrage, and homosexuality?to name just a few?have all been attacked as being contrary to common sense. Similarly, common sense has been invoked in opposition to many scientific and technological advancements. Such misuse of the notion of common sense is fallacious, being a form of the argumentum ad populum (appeal to the masses) fallacy.

Related Topics:
Civil rights - African Americans - Women's suffrage - Homosexuality - Argumentum ad populum - Fallacy

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