Common Sense Research Paper

It is necessary to unlearn common sense ideas because holding on to those ideas can impede progress. I had a history professor who would become agitated whenever students would respond to a question with “it’s always been that way.” Statements such as that imply that things can never change and that things have always been the same. Both points are wrong. Accepting the status quote as some immovable force prevents you from becoming an advocate for change. The earth being the center of the universe was considered “common sense” until disproved by Nicolaus Copernicus (Berger 2010). Albert Einstein once said that common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by the age of eighteen. It is important that educators help their students develop …show more content…
Cause and effect are extremely important in understanding things that might appear to be long-standing. I would explain to my students who have doubts about their ability to succeed based on their socioeconomic status the concept of social constructs. As human beings, we live in the physical, natural world and the non-physical world created by humans. Ideas such as race, gender and religion are all social constructs. Social constructs are concepts created by humans to categorize one another by what they are not. It is a form of identifying people based on their differences. Biologically, none of these constructs actually exist. These constructs come with connotations that are not grounded in fact. I would implore my students to think outside of the box, think scientifically and don’t allow the prejudices of society to prevent you from achieving your goals. Humans must exercise some level of independence from society, especially in regards to thinking, because when we fall victim to groupthink it can have disastrous consequences. Self-doubts in relation to one’s ethnic background, physical disability or socioeconomic status all stem from society. Therefore,