 |
|
|
|
Vol.18
What is Commonsense? |
|
|
We often hear comments such as “(S)he has commonsense” or “(S)he is
devoid of commonsense.” But
what exactly is commonsense?
According to the dictionary
(Sanseido Japanese dictionary),
it is defined as knowledge or a
way of thinking that a
particular society has in
common.
In the above
definition, the “common
knowledge” part is a matter of
each person’s education level,
and lack of such knowledge
would merely receive reprimands
such as “Don’t you know a thing
like that when you’ve got a
degree? It’s common
knowledge.”I too got reprimands
of this kind often when I was
young.
If common knowledge indicates
the average knowledge level of
that particular generation, it
may be said that in modern
(Japanese) society it would be
the knowledge level of a
two-year college or vocational
college graduate. It is
somewhat difficult to measure,
as expectation of others could
differ depending on the
environment a person is in.
Nonetheless, it is relatively
feasible to comprehend, since
we are talking about a concrete
subject – knowledge.
On the other hand, the “common
way of thinking” part of the
above definition is extremely
vague, and yet when people talk
of commonsense or its absence,
it often seems to be the case
that they are referring to the
“way of thinking” rather than
“knowledge.” When someone is
criticized of lacking
commonsense, it is more often
than not the content of that
person’s comment or action that
is the subject of criticism.
If so, what can we use
as a basis to define a way of
thinking that is common in a
particular society?
A
person’s way of thinking is
based on their way of living or
philosophy of life. Criticizing
their way of thinking leads to
criticizing their way of living
or philosophy of life.
Furthermore, I think that the
kind of behaviour that makes
people uncomfortable and
becomes the target of criticism
is uncooperative or antisocial
behaviour, as represented by
words such as
self-righteousness or egoism.
Therefore, I argue
that whether or not one
considers the others’
circumstances and has sympathy
for them can be the basis for
measuring whether one’s way of
thinking is commonsensical or
not.
I believe that if
you have the level of knowledge
equivalent to a two-year
college or vocational college
graduate and lead a life with
sympathy for others, you will
not be criticized for lacking
commonsense.
|
|
|
|
|
