(Why) Common Sense Is Not a Standard
We judge ourselves by our intentions and judge others by their actions.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary and its Wikipedia page, common sense “is sound, practical judgment concerning everyday matters, or a basic ability to perceive, understand, and judge in a manner that is shared by (i.e. common to) nearly all people.”
And as virtually any adult will tell you, common sense is not so common.
In fact, a recent study - believed to be one of the first to look at common sense from a statistical standpoint - concluded that “collective common sense is rare: At most, a small fraction of people agree on more than a small fraction of claims.”
Such claims includes statements like, “numbers don't lie, we should always trust the math” or “avoid close contact with people who are ill.” To some people, these may sound like common sense but, because they lack concreteness or facts, to others they are not common sense.
Where the study did find collective common sense was “plainly worded, factual claims about physical reality,” such as how many sides there are to a triangle.
So what’s the difference? Why is it that even the idea of common sense is not common, or a standard, for that matter? If you go back to the definition at the start of this article, it’s simply because common sense is described primarily as judgment…not truth.
And if you go further back to articles I’ve written about standards and expectations, and why the former are healthier than the latter, you would see that I emphasize one of the reasons is that expectations are based on what we believe…or our judgment.
So could it be that what we refer to as “common sense” is simply another way of saying “our expectations”?
Some time ago, I wrote a lengthy post on LinkedIn about a lesson we learned at our company, and one of my connections commented on it. Here is the relevant snippet from my post and her response.
Me: “We've consistently heard from participants over the years that when they learn emotional intelligence, it *seems* like common sense but they know it really isn't all that common in practice.”
Her: “I love the distinction you’ve made here between common sense and common practice.”
I had never heard that phrase before - common practice - and upon reflecting on it and looking up the definition of common sense, there was an obvious difference.
Common sense is what one believes (“judgment concerning everyday matters…ability to perceive, understand, and judge”) while common practice is what one does.
When we judge people for not having common sense, I believe we’re judging them on the fact that they’re not practicing common sense. In reality, unless we know someone extremely well (significant other, lifelong friend, parent, child), we often have little idea whether they have or know what we consider to be common sense.
The challenge in all of this - or anything about human behavior, for that matter - is looking into the proverbial mirror rather than judging others. Do I have common sense? Do I practice it so that others believe I have common sense?
It’s really hard to know unless we ask those closest to us, right? As one of my longtime friends likes to say, we judge ourselves by our intentions and judge others by their actions.
Many of us, because of our upbringing or education or experiences, consider ourselves to have common sense. But I believe the real issue is whether we practice it. After all, that’s often what we see in others when we conclude that they may not have common sense; we judge them by their actions or language (which we can see or hear) rather than their intentions (which we can’t, unless it’s after the fact).
Going back to my LinkedIn exchange, I believe this is why so many people believe emotional intelligence is common sense. Traits like self-awareness, emotional regulation, empathy, and compassion are often considered to be “common sense.” However, based on my experience with emotional intelligence training over many years, the vast majority of people, regardless of age/experience/seniority acknowledge their struggles putting those ideas into practice.
Going back to the study I referenced in the opening, the researchers concluded that collective common sense was typically found in “plainly worded, factual claims about physical reality.”
There are three sides to a triangle. Ten degrees is colder than 50 degrees. A tree has a trunk and branches.
When we get to claims or statements like “numbers don’t lie” or “avoid contact with people who are ill” or “be kind to others” or “control your anger,” what seems to be common sense for some may not be for others. Things aren’t as concrete and statements like these open themselves up to subjectivity.
All of a sudden, not only is common sense not common; it’s also not a standard.