Do you agree with this statement about COMMON KNOLEDGE?

[AviatorTom]

Some Common Knowledge is not true, that's the basis of urban myths and urban legends, like the now-disputed 6-foot separation.

So, what do you think about the statement in the picture? It basically says, if you want to believe something is true, maybe you should check into it. Like the infamous "trust and verify" statement that politicians use when talking about their adversaries.

Updates

+1 y

As many have said...
Common knowledge is not very common.

[NamerOfStars]

I think it goes further than that; you have to let verification of knowledge be common, even if it's only to the extent of thinking things through.

For example, Galileo. Everyone "knows" that the Catholic Church suppressed his work and eventually threw him in prison for claiming that the Earth revolves around the Sun. But neither of those things is true; Galileo was just advancing the work Copernicus had done earlier, and when the Vatican found out, their response was... to tell him to write a book comparing the two ideas, and explain why his was superior. That's the exact opposite of censorship. It also makes sense; there's no reason that astronomy should be a theological issue. Galileo, in response, wrote his book... his book in which he MAKES it a theological issue and calls the Pope a retard. I mean, there's poking the sleeping bear, and then there's repeatedly jabbing the sleeping bear's testicles with a cattle prod. What did he THINK was going to happen?

But in terms of pure astronomy, Galileo was STILL wrong.

Wait, what? Doesn't the Earth orbit the Sun? Well, not EXACTLY; it orbits the barycenter, since the Sun is moving, too, but close enough. The problem is this: if it's the EARTH that's moving, then why is there no parallax shift in the fixed stars? THEY should appear to be moving, too. We know now that Galileo's telescope (about as strong as a good pair of binoculars today) wasn't powerful enough to pick it up, given the mind-boggling distances between the stars, but as per the scientific method, with the observable data at the time, Galileo was incorrect.

Another example: go for a walk and ask everyone you come across why the ocean has tides. The vast majority of them- well, the vast majority of them will probably ignore you, since they're too focused on their phones, but put that group aside, and the vast majority will say "the Moon". Then ask them HOW the Moon causes tides. Few will have an answer, but they'll think for a moment and then say something like "The Moon's gravity pulls the water towards it, and since water is more mobile than solid soil or rock, it moves closer to the Moon; hence, the tides". Then ask them why there are TWO high tides a day. The closest thing to an answer that ANYONE has ever given me to that question is, quote: "The Moon is a wizard, and can be in two places at once".

Much of what people think they know is just rote dogma that they believe. I obviously don't expect everyone to test theories by creating another Earthlike planet with two moons and seeing how that affects tides, but putting in a little thought is critical to actually having knowledge.

[OlderAndWiser]

This meme, like so many, flows so smoothly that it sounds like it MUST be right. But it's just a meme.

[OlderAndWiser]

Thanks for MHO!

[purplepoppy]

Facts have a half life of ten years, that is to say half of what was believed true ten years ago has now been debunked. That's actually a good thing because it shows we think differently in the light of new evidence. Unfortunately now belief in facts seem to be more linked to political ideology than strength of evidence.

As for the 6ft rule (i assume you mean the covid thing) that figure was never scientific, it was plucked out of the air as the distance you could realistically expect people to stay apart and everyone knows what 6ft looks like.

[GeminiDiamond]

People without common sense is a common problem. I feel this goes deeply rooted into cultural eras and age.

[exitseven]

It is true. In the 50s it was common to have kids hide under their desks during an air raid drill. We laugh at this now just like we will be laughing about social disrmtancing and mask mandates.

[handsomelad70]

There was racism in the 50's (I was born in 1953), which exists to this second. Some things never change.

[es20490446e]

I think common knowledge means nothing.

What may have worked in the past, or for other person, may not work well for some other.

For me real intelligence is context.

[NathanDavis]

common knowledge does not always happen to be true..

[handsomelad70]

ONE HUNDRED PERCENT AGREE !!!

[msc545]

I agree, bujt truth is often ambiguous.

[StudyingAuthor]

Yes, I do.