Why Are Common Sense Fallacies Prevalent in Many Societies?
According to my Mac dictionary, common sense is defined as 'good sense and sound judgment in practical matters.' However, the human brain does not develop its full capabilities until the age of about 24 years. During our formative years, we acquire and catalog information presented by our experience and environment, making 'normal' assumptions. Children are highly susceptible to being indoctrinated into believing any set of thoughts or actions as being correct, depending on the influences around them.
Development of the Human Brain and the Acquisition of Common Sense
As our physical brains mature, we gain the ability to consciously review and edit our catalog of knowledge. Part of a thorough education should include training in self-examination. However, as described in the dictionary, common sense is based on practical matters. Therefore, most members of a society or societies generally will re-evaluate their common beliefs only when practical necessity demands it, if at all.
Fallacies and the Contrast Between Theory and Practice
Common fallacies often deal with a strict form of logical ‘by the numbers’ thinking, such as 22 will always equal 4 with no exceptions. In reality, things are often presented in a manner that challenges this type of strict thinking. Reality often favors the strong mind, but sometimes it takes uncommon sense to redefine common sense. This brings us to the concept of theory versus practice.
Theory states that things should always be judged by their attributes and actions, but in reality, we have to consider many factors, such as scale, the ideal versus the realistic, and unknown variables. Your example about children listening to adults is a good one. Historically, adults have more life experience that can help improve the survival rate of younger people. However, there are always exceptions, like the creepy guy in the white van offering candy.
The Maturity of the Brain and the Development of Reasoning Centers
Medically speaking, children have not fully developed certain reasoning centers in the brain. This means that people under, around 20 years old, have less brain power devoted to making rational decisions. This is particularly concerning, as this is the stage at which they lay the groundwork for the rest of their lives. This is why listening to older, more experienced people can be seen as a strength. Sometimes...
Challenging Traditional Beliefs with Uncommon Sense
Your first example is not entirely true, as far as I know. While it is true that men hitting women is a cultural issue, it is not solely attributed to size differences. There should be zero tolerance for hitting anyone. Intelligence is a human word that refers to our state of being; therefore, as we are capable of asking that question, we are capable of answering it, albeit in the context it is asked.
Common sense is based on collective knowledge and simple ideas. If you stand in front of a moving vehicle, it will hit you. Of course, one can say that the vehicle was moving away, but this is what we call counterintuitive thinking. Such thinking serves no one. In summary, common sense is rooted in practicality and collective knowledge. Understanding and applying it appropriately is key.