The Well-informed in the Common Sense World

In our surrounding world what do we see? We see plants, animals, houses, people, machines, etc. Let us include the stars and the sun and the moon and the clouds. We see these and we classify them. We see a dog in the street and we see it as, say, street dog. Maybe it is “owned” by someone. Ok, we might also have books and web sites telling us what the dog is.

We know it as a dog and we have a name for it, our languages call it by name. We assume that other people see that—and name it—a dog. (Aso, chien, hound, anjing, in whatever language.) It may be quite ridiculous to ask if we really see a dog. It will be ridiculous to ask if what we see is exactly the same as what we think and know. I know it is a dog and it is a dog. We see things in our surrounding world and we have different names for them. The world in which we live is a world of defined things and people with definite qualities.

In fact the world in which we live is a familiar world. We are not shocked and surprised with what we see. We do not see cows floating in air. We do not see ducks playing cards. We do not see people with ten arms and hands. We do not see our friends talk in extra-planetary languages. We do not see the walls of a room change colors every time we open and shut our eyes. Maybe in cartoons these can happen. In fantasy and dreams these can happen. But in concrete daily life we have a specific accent of reality which we cannot just brush away and deny. 

We accept our daily experiences as real and as what everybody else accepts them to be. This is how we can understand the meaning of “common sense”. Common sense is what everyone accepts as true, correct and real. It is precisely “common” to everyone.

To live in society we move according to “common sense”. It is “common sense” that this is a dog. It is “common sense” that this is a child. Let us talk about growing up. It is “common sense” that at a certain age a young lady gets married. It is “common sense” that after college a young man should work. It is "common sense" that we should not commit adultery. It is "common sense" that God exists and we should go to mass each Sunday. Etc. Each social group has its sets of “common sense” from very small matters to deep matters of morals and religion. (It may be very interesting to discuss the different "common sense" living of people from other countries).

Just consider a bit more this “common sense”. It is what everyone in the social group accepts as true and real. It is not put to question. It is quite enough for social members to live and function daily with “common sense”. Thus our surrounding world is a “taken for granted” world that is familiar and unquestioned.

We experience our world in a very automatic way. But very often what we see is not completely what we know. We may look at a dog and say it is a dog and that’s it. But do we know the anatomy and physiology of the dog? Do we know what type of dog it is…from which classification of dogs? De we know the exact weight of the dog? In “common sense” living we might not need to go further that what we see. We might not need to penetrate the details of what we see.

So we see people, things, animals, machines, clouds, etc. Do we know them completely? Do we know the complete details of each and every thing we see? We are satisfied with the familiarity we have about them without needing to go into so many details. Well, we can also consider the things we do. For example we buy something from a store. We pay the cashier. That may be enough for us. But do we know the whole economics behind money and production and costs and inflation etc.? Maybe it is enough to buy that product, that’s it. Whatever happens in all the details behind what we do is not our immediate concern. We do not perhaps even need to know the name and family circumstances of the cashier behind the counter. We just move on living in a familiar world.

This is why we hear some people say: “change your way of looking at things” or “see things differently” or “step out of the box” or “go further and know more”. Why say these things? Maybe because we have been so “at home” with our daily lives of “common sense” that we fail to notice other important matters—matters that need attention. But to try and “go further” does not just happen anytime.

Let us consider being “disappointed” with our experiences. We accept our daily experiences and we live flowing with everybody else. But then maybe we face experiences that disappoint us. We keep on buying the same product everyday without looking into details. Later we realize it causes cancer. Ah, we are “disappointed”. What we have been accepting everyday “disappoints” us. Just look back at the different moments in life when we were disappointed. There may have been small disappointments and there may have been big and serious disappointments. The small disappointments may not have required major adjustments. But big disappointments may have affected us deeply.

(We say disappointment but of course there are also pleasantly surprising experiences, like falling in love. Somehow the routine of daily life may have been shaken too by the pleasantly surprising experiences. But let us focus on disappointments).

Now when we are disappointed we take a position. We cannot just go on as if nothing is happening. We cannot pretend that all is still in the routine flow of life. Now we start looking further and deeper into our experiences. What we before simply accepted without questions now require that we raise questions; we want to penetrate the horizons that we have not previously looked into.

Now, look at how we have been living in the everyday life of “common sense”. Why do we get disappointed? This is because daily life has its “charm”. We are so “at home” in it that it “charms” us. We want to maintain it, sustain it, cultivate it. We do not want to “rock the boat”, so to speak. We cannot accept to live a life in which we are always troubled and disturbed. We do not want to be always on the look-out. Precisely, daily life is “home” for us.  We let our experiences stay as valid as possible and everyone more or less inter-acts smoothly. We do not quite explore the possibility of other ways of living. Maybe the term “comfort zone” can also help us here. Our daily life is a “comfort zone” in which we fit snugly.

Language is an important area of solidifying the validity of daily life. Language has a social force. Remember that we name things and we identify experiences with the function of language. We set daily life permanently with the use of language. Everyone in the social group speaks the same language; everyone communicates with the same language—the same way of naming things and same way of identifying things, telling us what is true, real, and approved. Our “comfort” in daily life is facilitated by language. We “read” our surrounding world in the same way as everybody else in society. Remember that when we name things we just do not make sounds we also suppose a defined way of dealing with things. When we see a dog we just do not stay with the word “dog”. In that word many things are implicated like “pet”, “it has an owner”, “it can bite”, “I will not harm it because it does not belong to me”, etc. Our language is not just a set of words like empty cans. Language puts to order our surrounding world. This includes putting to order also our actions and inter-actions. This includes how we orient to our surrounding world, how we relate, how we interpret and act. Language has a strong social force. (One of the high points in the use of language is "ideology", a topic for another essay).

This tells us the importance of being “well-informed”. In the ordinary flow of daily life we just accept things as they are, we “take for granted” our experiences. Can we not go further and deepen our views of the horizons? This is what it means to be “well-informed”. It means that we want to know more, see more, understand more….more than just what is “common sense”. It may especially be important to investigate further those social areas that have power over us. To be well-informed is to see where there is power at work dictating to us how we should conduct our lives. We buy things and we do not know the complex economics behind that act. Can we not try to be a bit more informed then? We eat and drink products without knowing all the ingredients there. Can we not try to be a bit more informed? We pay taxes without knowing where exactly our taxes go. Can we not try to be more informed?

To be well-informed is not just knowing more, however. It is also trying to see a possible redefinition of daily life. We might need to redefine the surrounding world in a way that is different from “common sense” definition. To be well-informed is to also redefine identities and relationships. In other words, we need to look into our “idea of humanity”.

Basic to our “idea of humanity” is the recognition that the human, unlike the cow, for example, can reflect and discern. The human can slow down, for example, and not just be always dictated upon by the beliefs of “common sense”. The human is also capable of the uncertainty. Daily life common sense thinking is “at home” with all its beliefs. Uncertainty is not easy to live with. The human, however, can be “disappointed” and even “disenchanted” and can raise questions, criticize and look for changes. This is basic to “being-human” and to be well-informed is also to seek for how to exercise “being-human”.

Consider what is happening in the news today. People talk of the BBL, for example. We read about views coming from the government and views from critics. We might be led by our emotions to take an uncritical stand. Or we might stay indifferent. But here is one area where we can see the importance of being "well-informed".
Consider the issue of the PCOS machines during the last two elections. Some statements from COMELEC and its critics were quite technical. We can be easily swayed if we are not well informed. 
Consider environmental damage. Our everyday actions may be contributing to the damage, like our purchase of plastic products. How well-informed are we regarding the impact of our choices and actions?
Common sense living might be comfortable but we need to keep in mind that the forces affecting us are not simply "natural forces". A lot of things in our daily lives are effects of motives and powers. We are also made to "trust" those powers and accept the status quo. (How? Through ideology....a discussion for another essay.)   
Common sense living may actually be, to a large extent, piloted by particular powers, both economic and political. We need a certain amount of being well-informed. Maybe we cannot be experts in politics, economics or environment management. But can we at least be better informed and not just be "nakanganga"?