Common Sense

[orbsycli]

I recently read a study that only 5% of the american population actually has common sense.
I did a little experiment, and talked to a bunch of people about this. Every single one of them were convinced they had common sense.
I know common sense is general good judgement, but how can this be true? I hate to admit it, but when I think about the average person I know..I guess it makes sense.
What do you guys think about this?

[pgrmdave]

Where is that study? I would assume that part of the definition of common sense was that it was common. If only 5% of the people have it, it is no longer common sense, and it becomes an oxymoron.

[orbsycli]

I had no luck finding it. Every time I read something interesting, news-wise, on the internet, I can never find it again.
This place is just too big! (cue the echo)
That's funny though, common sense being an oxymoron. *sigh, I ay ay.

[C1ay]

Originally Posted by orbsycli

I had no luck finding it. Every time I read something interesting, news-wise, on the internet, I can never find it again.
This place is just too big! (cue the echo)
That's funny though, common sense being an oxymoron. *sigh, I ay ay.

Could this be the study of discussion?

Common Sense, Who Has It?
Yale University Psychology and Education Professor Dr. Robert Sternberg has recently developed a survey to measure common sense. You have common sense, don't you. How much?

Discover Your Common Sense

New Study Reveals Who Has It

June 2004 (Newstream) -- We throw the phrase around all the time, but just how common is common sense? Experts contend it's essential to success and a new study shows us just what it is - and just who has it. In fact, according to a recent survey, 7 percent of Americans are said to have Common Sense Perception, or CSP - an uncanny and uncommon level of common sense.

More...

HTH

[orbsycli]

I see I mixed up 5, and 7. whoops. That wasn't the exact article, but yes that's exactly what I was talking about.

Thanks for backin me up

[bumab]

Well, I took the quiz. Pretty dumb, I think. Doesn't really measure common sense, so much as gives you idealized actions based on certain situations. I "missed" two, although I still don't agree with it.

In other words, their common sense might not be so common, resulting in nobody having common sense.

But I did pass... yee haw

[orbsycli]

There's a quiz? I don't think you can judge somebodies common sense by some online test. I didn't see that, I'm going to go check it out...

[orbsycli]

I agree with bumab, that thing was dumb.

[Crim]

For quite some time I have felt that common sense was an oxymoron, so this study just confirms it for me. If enough people think that common sense is dumb, or a waste of time, then how else can the result be any different. As well, if everyone thought they already had it, then there would be no reason to self assess, or improve. Then when those same people find they don't have it, my bet is that the majority will just re-allocate blame to the test.

[Fishteacher73]

I would think that common sense would be based on common knowledge. Unfortunatly it seems that we have developed a society that seems to eschew much beyond base entertainment. So their "common sense" would be based on a deminished set of inputs and knowledge and be less useful in aplication than someone whom had more information on which to make a sound judgment.