common sense debate

[titansfan]

So my boss and I and a few other co workers are have been debating this topic for about a week... We have driven each other nuts over this time frame since both sides feel they are correct and the other just needs to take their head out of their .... and see the light.

So here it is.... I will spread the fun...

Can common sence be taught to another person such as in a formal class ect, or is it something that someone either has or doesn't, and is learned by that person through life experiences, by "teaching" themself.

such as you can tell a child the stove it hot, but they really wont "get it" until they touch it and get burnt.

What are your thoughts?

[Black Suit]

It can't be taught.. I believe you do learn from your experiences and common sense isn't that common nowadays..

people don't want to think anymore..

[smooth operator]

I believe that common sense is something you are born with. It is not something that can be taught. You can be a genius and not have common sense, but very rarely do fools have it. My favorite boss once gave me the ultimate compliment, in my opinion, when he told me that I have common sense. But it does you no good to have it if you don't use it.

[staropeace]

Half nature......half nurture.

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

Wonder why it's called 'common' sense?

Long days and pleasant nights

[titansfan]

Thank you... This was everyone's answer at work EXCEPT my boss. Which i love him very much he is very smart (both book smart and common sence) i have learned so much from him in 3 years and we have pretty much the same opinion on everything. This is the first time we have got to debate each other. So we are trying to having a little bet (Which he hasn't agreed to yet).

We want to take some of our not so bright employees and put them in a class and have him teach them common sence. Prove me wrong.... If you dare. HEHEHE!

I will let you know the results if this actually happens.

[Bryan James]

"Common" sense is quite rare. You'd have to go into word derivations, but the long story short is "Farm boys only pee on an 'lectric fence one time, 'cept for the dumb ones, or the ones who forget...or the ones who like it."

Even smartish and wise folks make choices that are both 1) understood to be bad at the time and 2) later proven to be so.

You kinda have the whole 'Nature v. Nurture' controversy going on at your office.

The best answer is "Yes. No. Maybe."

BJS

[JohnDalglish]

We want to take some of our not so bright employees and put them in a class and have him teach them common sence. Prove me wrong.... If you dare. HEHEHE!

I will let you know the results if this actually happens.

Hi,

WARNING - Hilarity may ensue.

Long days and pleasant nights

[Mr Nobody]

people don't want to think anymore..

I reckon that just about sums it up. A lot of folks seem to want others to think for them, perhaps in the hope that they can sue someone when things go wrong. I blame the courts. If they had said to the first person who ate peanuts despite having a nut allergy, 'What the hell did you think was in the packet marked "Salted Peanuts", you dimbulb?!' then we wouldn't have it so bad.
Instead, they found in favour and stupidity was rewarded.

[rjt65]

I do not like the word common sense--why? people over time use it to demean some other people in areas. example, a very smart person being torn apart by others is deemed booksmart but having no commonsense.

If someone is an A_hole or dumb than they are... no reason to deviate book smart versus common sense for most people. I understand that those brilliant in some areas may seem lacking in others.. But who's to say?

me thinks what u want to teach in a class should not be called Common sense as that would be demeaning to the people told to take it.

A good process of thinking is formally known as Critical Thinking--check this out

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking see the in the classroom section--there are a lot of classes around CT...

g-luck