New Research Demonstrates That Common Sense Is Not So Common After All

Researchers from Penn tackle a significant deficiency in the understanding of knowledge.
Throughout the annals of human existence, the endurance and development of intricate communities have been largely reliant on the accumulation and application of knowledge. Of equal importance is the understanding of shared beliefs regarding what is considered true or untrue, often referred to as common sense. This concept plays a significant role in daily scenarios, such as following traffic regulations: Pedestrians instinctively steer clear of venturing into oncoming traffic, whereas motorists avoid using sidewalks as shortcuts to evade traffic jams.

However, deviations from these seemingly intuitive principles of interpersonal conduct remain prevalent. Despite the ubiquity of common sense, there is no unanimous consensus on what individuals collectively perceive as true or false.