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Toying with an idea...

Started by hackenslash, February 08, 2022, 10:19:53 PM

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hackenslash

And I need a little help. I'm hoping some discussion here can help stimulate something. First, a brief back-story for those joining the broadcast already in progress.

Many years ago, I mooted the idea of a book. It was meant to be a collection of interesting things by a particular group of people. That group went through some upheavals, but I clung like a limpet to the notion of eventually putting something together.

Over the years, I've tried to collect some thoughts together, but could never find a single cogent thread that would lead to a book that didn't already exist and that covered all the things I want to talk about. I recently had a bit of an epiphany, and I think I have a good idea that can do all the things I need it to do and have enough scope to go interestingly off-script, as those who know me will testify I'm wont to do (passed master of the 1,000 word footnote, me). So here it is:

Pareidolia and Prejudice: The Myth of Common Sense

It will be a book largely centred on intuition and expertise, but threaded through with the notion of patterns (patterns are our entire epistemic foundation). It will develop the notion of intuition as a skill to be learned and developed. It will talk about expertise and intuition as fundamentally about understanding variables.

So, I need a little help, hopefully with some discussion. I need examples of common knowledge that aren't true, and examples of common sense that isn't sensible. The more common the examples, the better.

I do intend to do a lot about things people know about science that aren't true, like time beginning at the big bang, and that sort of thing, so I have some coverage there. That's not to say I'm not interested in examples of that, too, but I'm looking for more general things people think are true that aren't.

Scientific/logical/factual pet peeves are usually a good thrust for a topic, so feel free to just vent about your pet peeves as long as they're relevant here. All grist to the mill, as they say in the Dales...

ETA: I should add a link to something, for those who haven't seen my witterings...

Very Able - Why expertise is fundamentally about understanding variables. A fun story from the history of physics.
Poles Apart - A fun story about physics, shit and opinions.
There is no more formidable or insuperable barrier to knowledge than the certainty you already possess it.

Tank

One thing springs to mind. Don't worry at all about writing a book that has already been written, you can't. Whatever you write will be uniquely you. How could it be anything else unless you go out to deliberately copy something else.

First a question. What do you think the majority of people consider 'common sense' to be?
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Tank

We now have a 'Members Only' forum. It's not public. Would you like me to move this tread there given to work-in-progress nature of this thread?
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

hackenslash

I don't think it matters where it is, if I'm honest, and I'm not precious.

On the other thing, that's trickier, because most of what people think of as common sense is in fact clear expressions of fallacies (post hoc or affirming the consequent, usually). Properly, it's our collective intuition.
There is no more formidable or insuperable barrier to knowledge than the certainty you already possess it.

Bad Penny II

Take my advice, don't listen to me.

Tank

Quote from: hackenslash on February 09, 2022, 09:51:08 AM
I don't think it matters where it is, if I'm honest, and I'm not precious.

On the other thing, that's trickier, because most of what people think of as common sense is in fact clear expressions of fallacies (post hoc or affirming the consequent, usually). Properly, it's our collective intuition.

So taking the first thing that came to mind it's common sense that the Earth is flat?
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

billy rubin



set the function, not the mechanism.

Tank

Quote from: billy rubin on February 09, 2022, 06:21:20 PM
my ears are burning

I fully expect that you and hack have the potential to get on very well indeed!
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

billy rubin

maybe so

hack, what exactly are you calling "common sense?"

and intuition?

along tbe way, what is intelligence, and wisdom?


set the function, not the mechanism.

Tank

If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

billy rubin

well ' wht  is common sense?

a culturally-wide practical apprehension of  fundamental relationships among matter and energy, especially of cause and effect, in addition to an understanding and predicitve capacity of human behaviour, maybe?

but then what is intuition? ive asked these questions before because im never really satisfied with the answers


set the function, not the mechanism.

xSilverPhinx

Sounds very interesting! I am curious to see how this develops.
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


hackenslash

Quote from: billy rubin on February 09, 2022, 07:26:37 PM
maybe so

hack, what exactly are you calling "common sense?"

and intuition?

along tbe way, what is intelligence, and wisdom?

I hope you'll forgive me, but I kind of hope not to have to do that, not least because that's part of the exercise. I do have answers to these ( and I vaguely alluded to one of them above), but I'm trying not to load anybody's thinking, and this has more value for purpose if my personal view of what common sense is isn't in play, if that makes sense.
There is no more formidable or insuperable barrier to knowledge than the certainty you already possess it.

hackenslash

Quote from: billy rubin on February 09, 2022, 10:31:05 PM
well ' wht  is common sense?

a culturally-wide practical apprehension of  fundamental relationships among matter and energy, especially of cause and effect, in addition to an understanding and predicitve capacity of human behaviour, maybe?

but then what is intuition? ive asked these questions before because im never really satisfied with the answers

Hang on to your hat, because I have an answer to that particular question. Right in my wossname, that. Wheelhouse. Right in my wheelhouse.
There is no more formidable or insuperable barrier to knowledge than the certainty you already possess it.

hackenslash

Quote from: Tank on February 09, 2022, 04:54:56 PM
Quote from: hackenslash on February 09, 2022, 09:51:08 AM
I don't think it matters where it is, if I'm honest, and I'm not precious.

On the other thing, that's trickier, because most of what people think of as common sense is in fact clear expressions of fallacies (post hoc or affirming the consequent, usually). Properly, it's our collective intuition.

So taking the first thing that came to mind it's common sense that the Earth is flat?

That's an interesting example, not least because the notion that everybody once thought the Earth flat is one of the examples I have of common knowledge. I'm reasonably confident there was never a time when anything other than a fringe minority thought the world was flat.
There is no more formidable or insuperable barrier to knowledge than the certainty you already possess it.