Common Sense As a Source of Knowledge
The Weaknesses and Strengths of Common Sense and Science as Sources of Knowledge
There are many sources of knowledge as the society progresses. In this case, the most controversial question would be whether or not common sense can be accounted as a reliable source of knowledge? Although both common sense and science can be taken into account as sources of knowledge, I will argue that to some extent common sense and scientific knowledge are still very different from one another. That is, scientific knowledge is much more highly valued and reliable than common sense. By definition, common sense is a knowledge that is developed from daily basis, and is primarily based on the viewer’s observation, while scientific knowledge is generated from a constant formal of testing in the real world. In this essay, I will discuss the weaknesses and strengths of common sense and scientific knowledge and defend my position for why scientific knowledge is generally regarded as more reliable and authoritative than common sense.
In this section, I will discuss the main strengths of common sense and science. Arthur E. Murphy, an American philosopher, believed that the ability to learn by experience is the most fundamental factor in our intellectual progress. On one hand, namely, common sense is both common and sensible. That is, common sense beliefs can be easily observed by individuals and it is rather comprehensible. Science, on the other hand, uses a rational methodology. Also, along with that science further understanding of why certain things happen as they do in the natural world. Another advantage of science is that it involves three-step process of scientific method: observing, explaining and testing. Science often begins by observing the natural world. Theoretically, if something that is not well understood rises, speculate about its explanation and then find some method to examine those speculations. Unlike common sense, science goes through a much more complex process
There are many sources of knowledge as the society progresses. In this case, the most controversial question would be whether or not common sense can be accounted as a reliable source of knowledge? Although both common sense and science can be taken into account as sources of knowledge, I will argue that to some extent common sense and scientific knowledge are still very different from one another. That is, scientific knowledge is much more highly valued and reliable than common sense. By definition, common sense is a knowledge that is developed from daily basis, and is primarily based on the viewer’s observation, while scientific knowledge is generated from a constant formal of testing in the real world. In this essay, I will discuss the weaknesses and strengths of common sense and scientific knowledge and defend my position for why scientific knowledge is generally regarded as more reliable and authoritative than common sense.
In this section, I will discuss the main strengths of common sense and science. Arthur E. Murphy, an American philosopher, believed that the ability to learn by experience is the most fundamental factor in our intellectual progress. On one hand, namely, common sense is both common and sensible. That is, common sense beliefs can be easily observed by individuals and it is rather comprehensible. Science, on the other hand, uses a rational methodology. Also, along with that science further understanding of why certain things happen as they do in the natural world. Another advantage of science is that it involves three-step process of scientific method: observing, explaining and testing. Science often begins by observing the natural world. Theoretically, if something that is not well understood rises, speculate about its explanation and then find some method to examine those speculations. Unlike common sense, science goes through a much more complex process