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Common sense - what is it and who has it?

JivinJeffJones

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What is common sense? What function best contributes towards it? Is it a combination of functions? Which type tends to have the most of it, and which tends to have the least?
 

Athenian200

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What is common sense? What function best contributes towards it? Is it a combination of functions? Which type tends to have the most of it, and which tends to have the least?

It's either Si or Te. Not sure which.

Basically, it's what "everybody knows." Or rather, what most people believe. It's the assumption that whatever most people seem to believe must be correct. I tend to doubt this, so I don't have it. I prefer to believe in what I actually understand.

I usually don't value it, and call it "commoner's sense." :smile:

(Probably because of Ni and Fe.)
 

Economica

Dhampyr
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What is common sense?

My associations to this term are similar to athenian200's; common sense is what opinions are based on when arguments are lacking (or at least unidentified). :D

As such, I'm going to go with Si.

---

"Theory is when you understand everything but nothing works. Practice is when things work but no one knows why. Here, we combine theory and practice: Nothing works and no one knows why." - Sign on my neighbor's door, I don't know the source.
 

JivinJeffJones

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Hmm, I have rarely heard common sense associated with tradition. I've only really heard it associated with practicality. :huh:
 

JivinJeffJones

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According to Cambridge Dictionary (damn, I should have included this in the OP, but I was too lazy):

Common Sense: the basic level of practical knowledge and judgment that we all need to help us live in a reasonable and safe way.



That's what I mean when I talk about common sense, and that's the sense I've heard it used most often. Having said that, I have heard it being used as justification for doing something a certain way when no other justification is known. (eg "Everyone knows you can't eat dog biscuits. It's common sense.")
 

Economica

Dhampyr
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Having said that, I have heard it being used as justification for doing something a certain way when no other justification is known.

Exactly - so when you suggest doing something a new way and hear 'common sense' as the counter-argument, it becomes a justification of tradition.

Mind you, sometimes common sense/tradition is right and Ni is wrong. :dry: What I try to do is figure out why something has become tradition, i.e. find the unknown counter-argument(s).
 

Athenian200

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Mind you, sometimes common sense/tradition is right and Ni is wrong. :dry: What I try to do is figure out why something has become tradition, i.e. find the unknown counter-argument(s).

That's exactly why I don't like it, it doesn't ask why it's tradition, it just follows it. It just seems like a way of tossing something aside without examining it. There's no "reason" involved, it's just being thrown at you, almost like the person is telling you "it's right/wrong because I said so."

It's not that I'm not willing to believe they're right, I just expect a better reason/answer than "common sense." I expect a person who wants me to believe something to be able to understand and explain what they're telling me to believe.
 

Totenkindly

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Exactly - so when you suggest doing something a new way and hear 'common sense' as the counter-argument, it becomes a justification of tradition.

Mind you, sometimes common sense/tradition is right and Ni is wrong. :dry: What I try to do is figure out why something has become tradition, i.e. find the unknown counter-argument(s).

Yes... just because Si is a static inner map doesn't mean it's not based on something.

The individual gathers it from real-life experience and the real-life experience of others: "Here is what works / is true, you can just accept it as a truth." And it is incorporated via Si into the inner map.

Lots of times, common sense can be correct. Unfortunately, common sense doesn't really examine the particulars of a situation and thus is inappropriate/inefficient sometimes.

I think Te often gets paired with Si... because Te is the standardized methodical way of doing something. Procedures can become honed down to a science.
 

Economica

Dhampyr
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That's exactly why I don't like it. It just seems like a way of tossing something aside without examining it. There's no "reason" involved, it's just being thrown at you, almost like the person is telling you "because I said so."

I know exactly how frustrated you feel. :hug: I recommend engaging your Ni as a devil's advocate against itself - try to brainstorm what might be the argument inherent in the tradition (that is, not necessarily the wilful intention behind its institution - but the underlying mechanism that has sustained it). Then you can weigh that against the alternative your Ni has come up with.
 

white

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That's exactly why I don't like it, it doesn't ask why it's tradition, it just follows it. It just seems like a way of tossing something aside without examining it. There's no "reason" involved, it's just being thrown at you, almost like the person is telling you "it's right/wrong because I said so."

They're coming from the viewpoint that sometimes, the road less travelled is less travelled for a reason, mayhaps. ;) The difficulty I have with that is the same reason as you (and the rest here I guess) - without understanding the reason, I find it hard to accept, essentially, on faith / tradition. But I think I'm a Ti and Ne right.. so where does that fit.. Or is it the P taking over here? . . :huh:
 

Totenkindly

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They're coming from the viewpoint that sometimes, the road less travelled is less travelled for a reason, mayhaps. ;) The difficulty I have with that is the same reason as you (and the rest here I guess) - without understanding the reason, I find it hard to accept, essentially, on faith / tradition. But I think I'm a Ti and Ne right.. so where does that fit.. Or is it the P taking over here? . . :huh:

probably being an INxx contributes. INxx's tend to be more autonomous-minded, I think, from experience.

Ti = sees whether the behavior meshes with reality
Ne = sees all the other ways something COULD be done

There won't be a knee-jerk rejection that stems from just TiNe.... there will just be a "That doesn't make any sense!"

Those with Ni as a lead are more prone to have the "Don't tell me how to look at this situation!" kneejerk attitude. I think, anyway.
 

JivinJeffJones

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So which type would have the most common sense, and which would have the least?

My guess:

Most - INTJ or ISTP
Least - INFP
 

Athenian200

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So which type would have the most common sense, and which would have the least?

My guess:

Most - INTJ or ISTP
Least - INFP

I disagree. I think it would be ISxJ for most, and INxJ for least. (Those two styles of Introverted Perceiving functions really can't stand each other when they're brought face to face. If I get along with them, it's because I usually only interface with their Judging function.)
 

Totenkindly

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I disagree. I think it would be ISxJ for most, and INxJ for least. (Those two styles of Introverted Perceiving functions really can't stand each other when they're brought face to face. If I get along with them, it's because I usually only interface with their Judging function.)

I think ISTPs have what looks like common sense -- because they are looking at the world in a logical way. It's a "logical common sense" vs a "conventional common sense," if that makes any sense.

But it can lead to doing dumb things, like fixing a hole in your jeans with duct tape and wearing them to class... because it works and no one should care, but the teacher does ("Doh!" would say the ISxJ... and the ISTP would just become irate at how the world is so illogical).
 

JivinJeffJones

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which are you btw?

INFP. I am far too humble to start a thread about something which is awesome about me. In fact, I was just thinking about how humble I am today. My thought process:

1. I'm not very proud. I'm probably the least proud person I know. I guess I am therefore actually quite humble.
2. It's not very humble to consider yourself humble. In fact, it probably disqualifies you.
3. But I hardly ever think of myself as humble. In fact, I almost never do. That means that most of the time I am really humble.
4. Dammit, I'm doing it again. I'm really proud.
5. Actually, the fact that I see the irony in being proud of my humility probably means I'm humbler than I thought.
6. *basks in glow of own humility*
7. Okay, I have to stop thinking about humility. I will be humble as long as I don't think about it, so I have to stop thinking about it.
8. Purple elephants.
9. I must find a way to shoehorn this thought-process into a thread on MBTI central.
 

white

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INFP. I am far too humble to start a thread about something which is awesome about me. In fact, I was just thinking about how humble I am today. My thought process:

1. I'm not very proud. I'm probably the least proud person I know. I guess I am therefore actually quite humble.
2. It's not very humble to consider yourself humble. In fact, it probably disqualifies you.
3. But I hardly ever think of myself as humble. In fact, I almost never do. That means that most of the time I am really humble.
4. Dammit, I'm doing it again. I'm really proud.
5. Actually, the fact that I see the irony in being proud of my humility probably means I'm humbler than I thought.
6. *basks in glow of own humility*
7. Okay, I have to stop thinking about humility. I will be humble as long as I don't think about it, so I have to stop thinking about it.
8. Purple elephants.
9. I must find a way to shoehorn this thought-process into a thread on MBTI central.


Least - INFP. :hug:

but back to the OP?. .
 
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