ABSTRACT
As the introductory chapter to a book about common sense it is important to introduce the concept of “common sense” itself. Most people are likely to think that they already know what common sense is, as, on the surface, it seems like a straightforward notion. Moreover, most of us have heard others promote the perceived benefits of acting in a common-sense manner, especially when making decisions about possible courses of actions. However, as the examples provided in this chapter reveal, common-sense decision-making is not always obvious, and courses of actions and reactions to various stimuli are often unclear. Consequently, the study of common sense becomes very important and essentially involves the examination of the micro behaviors of people, that is to say, the everyday behaviors of individuals. The focus on the everyday interactions of people is important to the study of common sense because it is within this realm that most people come to expect others to behave in a predictable, common-sense manner. Individuals seem to be happy when others use “common sense” as it affords interactants with an opportunity to take “short cuts” during social interaction because both parties have a good understanding of, and perhaps experience with, dealing with a specific situation. However, the further removed from our everyday experience a particular situation is, the less useful common sense is.
