Knowledge is the familiarity and awareness of something. For example, people who study medicine, have knowledge about medicine and diseases. people who study math, have knowledge about math, calculation, algorithms, etc.

Simply put, knowledge comes from studying and searching. You are interested in knowing about physics, AI, religions, you name it, go and spend some time reading about / searching for it.

YET, Common Sense is a whole different matter. you can’t go and study common sense!

what is common sense first??

Let’s give some definitions:

Common Sense is:

* “The basic level of practical knowledge and judgement that we all need to help us live in a reasonable and safe way” (Cambridge).

The key words in this definition are “practical and judgement“.

Common sense is a type of knowledge but a practical one, not theoretical. We can’t find it in books and articles. We can’t go and study it or have courses on it.

It’s a judgement, an opinion, an evaluation, a feeling, a sentiment.

Common sense is situational. It is always related and has to do with the situation and context at hand. What you think about something now and here can be radically different then and there (I am referring to the context/situation).

* “Sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts” (Merriam Webster).

 In this definition, I would focus on “sound judgement” and “situation“. Common sense is a judgement as we mentioned, but it must be sound, sane, error-free, fallacy-free, flaw-free. Plus, it is situation-related.

Knowledge is highly valuable and beneficial when addressing matters within a specific field of expertise. However, common sense is essential for navigating life in general. Common sense is necessary to estimate the price of something when there is no prior knowledge of its cost. It is also vital for carefully selecting the right words when speaking to someone who has recently lost a loved one.

Additionally, it is crucial for offering a sincere apology when a mistake is made. Common sense is indispensable for providing professional, accurate, direct, and relevant responses, particularly in professional settings. For instance, why bring up personal family issues when the question pertains to academic achievements?

Everyone needs common sense to decide the proper time to fix something in the house (so not to wake/disturb neighbors), or else celebrate an occasion with music being played loudly. They need it to gently turn an invitation/request down (nice way with explanations/excuses given). They need it to dress the right way for a certain occasion; we can’t, for example, go to a funeral with a red short and a yellow tank top.

We need common sense not to drop by / call someone at a late time, especially without further notice.

We all need common sense to live a good, respected, high-quality life. It is is the wise person we all need in our life.