What has happened to common sense

Of all the mysteries in the universe ... creation, evolution, the big bang, multi dimensions, string theory, space and time being curved ...
Of all the problems in my chosen field .. medicine .. Alzhiemer's, Cancer, MS ....
Of all the theological questions .. who are we, is there a God, what is the meaning of life .....
Of all the social questions ... Left or Right ... population, green house affect, war .. etc

The one thing that puzzles me the most is

What happened to common sense?

We complain about overseas buyers buying into Australia ... we sell it to them
We complain that stores only sell imported goods ... we buy them

Just about every problem is cased by us, not politicians, not financiers, not stock brokers, not business, but by us.

Common sense should tell us what to do, I guarantee that is what the politicians will do, they want our votes. It is what the financiers will do they want our money. It is what the brokers will do they want our custom. It is what the businessmen will do, they want our business.

If we were to 'en mass' stop shopping at Woolworth or Coles until they only bought Australian produce where possible, they would within hours make changes.

People power is the greatest of all powers, so why don't we use common sense to solve some of our greatest problems.

Maybe I am just a dumb assed scientist who doesn't understand society, but I don't see why we don't do a lot more ...

Why don't we all buy LPG cars? Why why why

 

I started this thread because I am sick of the Carbon Tax ones.

Lets see how long it takes before we mention Julia or Tony ... I hope never..

 

common sense is long gone, but has certainly nothing to do with Julia or others.......

I think, compared to other nations, we accept more, especially from our governments. We are more complacent. When others demonstrate, we sit at home with a stubby in our hand. Can't be bothered too much, can we?

Too regain more common sense, we might have to raise our children different in regards to question the system, and to stand up if they think things go wrong.

Once we engage more, common sense will return.....

Cheers

 

What is this protectionist rubbish?

I have no idea what the point of this thread is.

If we are more complacent and accepting of reforms it's because they tend to actually work. Our politicians actually do a half decent job. If our country had gone down the crapper like Italy, Greece, Ireland, etc, etc, then you might have a point.

What would you suggest? We be more like Americans who seem to have a deep seated hatred and distrust of government?

 

WOW Where did you pull that from, protectionist, lol. Just the opposite, a protectionist would say, "Get the government to fix it .. tariffs, quotas etc".

I am saying just the opposite. We blame everything on the government, I am asking why we don't take the blame, it is after all us that is doing most of the damage.

We still use gasoline driven cars when LPG is very safe, non polluting (compared to petroleum), we still use too much electricity, we still waste so much food, we still buy cheap imported goods even though we know they will soon end up in land fill, etc etc etc.

This post is to make people think, see what they say. You it seems have nothing worth saying but thank you for your post.

Cheers

 

Apparently not very long at all.

Common sense? We would all consider we use common sense in all our dealings. However, some would consider others may have a strange idea of common sense. This would be because common sense is formed from our teachings and experiences.

I would suggest that education of the youth, at home and in the school system needs to be addressed in some form. Most education, have a larger student to teacher ratio that would not really be conducive to helping people in this area. This would be because everybody learns at different speeds.

Most education systems, lecture students rather than explain how things work. This has built a number of people that would simply believe what they are told by those with credentials suitable enough to be believed.

A good example of this is the Flat Earth society of the past. Many believed, that the earth must be flat, so those heavily credential members must be right. Today, we say it is common sense that it is not.

 

Good answer, we are getting somewhere ... EDUCATION ... Can we teach common sense .... can we prepare students to make "common sense" decisions? Is it the "Educational Systems" role? Should it be parents role?

 

Good answer, sorry I am not replying in chronological order ...

Parental Guidance

Parental guidance is common sense, so if they (parents) don't prepare their children, it's because they do not have the resources.

Are we too late, can we fix this problem?

Look at our youth drinking and violence problems ... surely any concerned parent would know if their children were involved ... there are lots of clues...common sense

 

People without common sense used to die young but nowadays they live to a ripe old age and it's the fault of you bloody scientists!

 

Common sense is the first victim of over regulation, and lack of personal accountability.

 

We can not teach, common sense. It is not really the role of education systems to teach it, so to speak. From an early age, we begin to learn things in common sense. The simplest is, Fire. It hurts, this most will tend to learn through experience, not from being told. It does not take long to learn, that common sense tell us, that if it is hot, it will hurt. So when the child learns something is hot, they understand it hurts to touch. Of course, they are still not able to simply distinguish from what is hot and what is not, Unless they have had an experience before with the object. I hope you get the what I am saying there.

People consider much of what they learn is pointless. However, they need to realize, they are learning techniques not answers. Much of what people learn is used every day, without the knowledge of the person using it. Science, maths, etc, etc.

That being said, common sense is not something we learn directly. It is something that we use with the knowledge we learn and through experience. I do not think it is something that should be solely on the shoulders of the education departments, but it should go hand in hand at home as well.

I wonder if the modern mind has become lazy. Education of the modern society teaches that all these MD, DR and professors, Know all about the subjects they indulge and are the only ones who have the ability to scrutinize whatever issues in question. So many simply believe that it is fact, when it should really consider the results themselves.

Common sense is universal, But when some experience is has not been had, then the outcomes can be different.

 

Sorry ... not LOL Maybe there is a point there too.

 

Ah yes it is, one of our biggest problems is lack of accountability, so if you cannot be held responsible, why use common sense. Over regulation is EXCELLENT, and the subject of another thread I will be starting is in regards to Child Care. As some of you know, my partner is a child care worker and some of the new rules are so bad. For instance, if one child hits another child, the carer isn't allowed to say that was naughty. They can comfort the child that was hit, but no mention of it to the other child except maybe that you are disappointed that they hit them. Common sense has been regulated out.

If the children are outside and it rains, summer or winter, they can ask the children to come inside, they can persuade them to, but they cannot tell them they must come inside and they definitely cannot go and get them.

 

You mean....JuLIAR!

 

... my personal admiration to one of the greatest philosophers of all time, Immanuel Kant.

If you really want to face your limits, start reading Immanuel Kant's thoughts on *critic of pure reason*, published first in german back in 1781.

But be prepared to meet an intellectual genius. Very very difficult to read,
it can or will drive you nuts....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanuel_Kant

enjoy, cheers

 

oh, and for those ones who cannot or don't want to afford a real book,
here an internet option:

http://books.google.com.au/books?id...gbs_summary_r&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Your chief complaint was apparently foreign investment and imported goods. You assume wrongly that people do not want these things. You complain that we don't use "common sense" because we buy them and allow foreign investment. Not much of a leap to protectionism buddy.

There are so many assumptions and generalizations in your post that it is quite pointless.

Who is this "we" you talk about?

I certainly do not "blame everything on the government" and I don't know anyone who "blames everything on the government".

Do you?

It's not as though the government is isolated from society. This is a democracy.

Funny you mention LPG cars as the government has a pretty substantial conversion program. Ironic isn't it? There are many reasons that people choose petrol cars over LPG anyway.

You apparently think our "greatest problems" are foreign investment, imported goods and petrol vehicles instead of LPG. Where is your common sense?

And now you are beginning to talk about government regulation, and yet I thought everything was solved with "people power"?

I think it is moronic to come onto a forum and complain about the lack of common sense of the "average person". It is presumptuous and it is very arrogant.

True at least of your OP.

Cheers!

 

Media propaganda makes people stupid.

 

I am sitting here typing naked while drinking bourbon out of an ashtray.
That has nothing to do with the media.

 

My hackles were likewise risen by DVs apparent protectionist tendencies

That sort of stuff (*)(*)(*)(*)s me

But on re-read - i don't think DV meant to (*)(*)(*)(*) me

I think I agree with him

 

I guess I'm missing the common sense part? Did you at least empty the ashtray??

 

I agree. People today seem to lack the level of common sense that people of my generation posses. I think it has very much to do with the fact that over the years people have been doing less and less for themselves. Nowdays we make little for ourselves, we buy everything. Today if something breaks we throw it away and buy another one. In my day nothing was thrown away untill it could not be repaired anymore, we wore cloths with patches and socks that had been darned. We didn't buy anything that we could make for ourselves. We didn't have a telephone or television, only lucky families had a car. The only thing that took batteries was a torch. We had to do a lot more problem solving than people today and that takes common sense.

 

Are you 80?

 

Not yet. I'm talking 1950's. By the early 1960's we got a telephone and later a TV. These things were luxuries back then, especialy in rural areas where we lived. But it was much the same in town. I should add people also didn't pay someone else to do something unless they absolutely could not do it themselves. These were the days of home haircuts for kids, no such thing as microwaves or automatic washing machines or cordless drills and people thought nothing of walking a mile or so.

 

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