Making sense of Common Sense

Common sense

More than 230 years ago, the American thinker Thomas Paine, wrote his paper entitled: “Common Sense”, questioning the British rule on a dependent American colony. In a way he was far ahead of his time, and among many insights he stated “Time makes more converts than reason” Of course many of his fellowmen were illiterate at that time and his essay had a minimal impact; and he certainly risked being outlawed, or even hanged for his “subversive” views as a rebel British subject in the new American colony. But that is history

Technologies and modernity have challenge tradition.

The main contention of this paper is that fast technological change, modernity, money, science, trade, birth control methods, and so on; in many ways have defied traditional common sense. In many ways modernity stretches traditional “limits” of what is correct and what is not. In “unwelcome” ways modernity sets a stage for civil disobedience a sort of “do-it-yourself ethics” and a blurring of responsibility.

But tradition still survives in many ways. So there is sort of a graft or mix of modern mores and traditional ways of behavior in people’s minds. Nowadays, most people prefer hospitals or clinics to midwives to deliver babies; and modern surgery to old superstitions or incantations. But in many ways, centuries old traditions survive and people respect them. This is a sort of “clash of civilizations.” Perhaps unwanted but accepted anyway.