03-22-2021, 03:08 PM
(03-22-2021, 02:31 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: Common sense doesn't allow you to understand the nuances of those sorts of things. Common sense would allow you to say that there are experts in these fields that are saying something contrary to my layperson opinion, and it is highly likely that their views on the matter carry more weight. Common sense is understanding when you don't have the knowledge in a topic someone else does and deferring to their expertise.
I work in public policy, which is a social science in which we are expected to be Jacks and Jills of all trades. However, we rely on subject matter experts because while we may have a surface level knowledge of a matter, someone else will still know more. I know a lot about water and fisheries because of my recreational experience and some work I have done on policies, but I still have a handful of fisheries biologists that I am constantly asking questions of to inform things.
Common sense is applying common knowledge. The information about this sort of thing is far from common knowledge. Common sense is knowing to trust experts in those situations.
The greatest help to mankind's quest for knowledge has been the internet. The issue, however, is that people have become convinced that their cursory research on a topic makes them qualified to have strong positions on complex topics, with the exaggerated confidence that they are "educated" on it. Knowing and understanding are different things but often get used interchangeably in very complex topics.
