Conservatives and Common Sense

Did you know there is a leftist war on common sense? Check out this article in the "American Thinker". See, the leftist education system no longer teaches teleology like in the old days (???). Teleology basically says there is a purpose in the processes of nature. I guess we need a good understanding of teleology so we can understand the argument for the existence of god. Leftists have taught Americans that they are not allowed to know what they know. Stuff like how G.W. Bush is the greatest President since Abraham Lincoln or how the Iraq War is so successful that oil prices will take a dive or that Dick Cheney is not evil.... things that we know we know (at least 28% of us know).

Darwin is also a problem.

With Darwin as king of the classroom and conscience but a mute passerby, the Left hurls endless invectives at the United States, denouncing both its greatness and that of its Founders, and almost nobody says a word. Some want to say something but they are too embarrassed, while others do not even know they are allowed to speak.

Common sense tells you that the USA exists and has existed only for the good of people throughout the world. Common sense must also tell us that is not good to admit to any mistakes that the USA has made throughout it's history.

It was once common sense that malaria was caused by bad air, witches would sink if thrown into a pool, or that man could not survive going through the sound barrier. Common sense is not all its cracked up to be.

Thomas Kida has written a book called "Don't Believe Everything You Think". Kida explains that there are six basic mistakes we make in thinking (common sense thinking). We prefer stories to statistics; we seek to confirm, not question our ideas; we rarely appreciate the role of chance in shaping events; we sometimes misperceive the world around us; we tend to oversimplify our thinking and we have faulty memories. Here is an article that explains why we are bad at accessing modern risks.

Common sense is not so common and can be highly overrated. The best way to determine what is true and what is false is critical thinking and science. George Bernard Shaw wrote: "It is not disbelief that is dangerous to our society, it is belief."