A Further Look at "Common Sense" in Introductory Sociology

"Common sense" has received widespread negative treatment in introductory sociology textbooks. This paper argues three points: 1) negative treatments of common sense lead to greater problems than those which they seek to solve by their challenging of common sense; 2) a variety of bases exi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Teaching sociology 1989-07, Vol.17 (3), p.307-315
Main Author: Mathisen, James A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavioral Sciences
Charisma
Common Sense
Common sense knowledge
Content Analysis
Empiricism
Higher Education
Methodology (Philosophical)
Observational research
Racism
Scientific method
Sensory perception
Social interaction
Social Sciences
Social Theories
Sociology
Sociology Education
Textbook Content
Textbook Research
Textbooks
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:"Common sense" has received widespread negative treatment in introductory sociology textbooks. This paper argues three points: 1) negative treatments of common sense lead to greater problems than those which they seek to solve by their challenging of common sense; 2) a variety of bases exists both in sociology and in philosophy in support of common sense; 3) introductory texts could serve students more adequately by a balanced explanation and interpretation of the relationship between common sense and sociology as a science. The paper concludes with an example of what such an explanation should include.
ISSN:0092-055X
DOI:10.2307/1318077