Common sense ain't so common no more

Reading through p5p, I see a long rant from Karl Williamson.  And the merits of the actual post, positive and negative, aside (there are much more capable people than I who may or may not respond to the contents of the long, detailed, and seemingly well-thought-out post), one little phrase sent me reaching for the "rant" button.

"That is common sense".  Gah.

We've all heard, and maybe even said, that common sense isn't so common anymore.  Well, the problem with that is that it never was common sense.

What a person calls "common sense" is really the unspoken assumptions about life that they have made themselves.  This isn't a statement about anyone other than the speaker.  You make a statement about your own biases when you talk about common sense.

I actually find talking about "common sense," especially as a defense against the behaviours of others, to be somewhat self-centered and arrogant.  It is practically the opposite of "empathy."  Instead of recognising the perspective of another, you've rejected it already as invalid (and minority) by appealing to the majority (Argumentum ad populum).  The arrogance here is that you, not the person you're talking to, represents the majority.

I've made a conscious effort over the last number of years to exchange "common sense" for "makes sense to me" or some variation that is very similar.  Not only is this more accurate, it invites further discussion, and it's only under further discussion that I can learn new things, new ways of thinking.  I don't always agree with those ways of thinking, but it's only through understanding how others think that I can understand who they are and live in better harmony.