Is there a difference between logic and common sense? And if so ,what is it ?

Answer 1

surely logic is the application of common sense, its the same as knowledge without wisdom. If you had good common sense but never used it, that would be illogical.

Answer 2

Logic is a sort of pseudomathematics, designed for the preservation of truth within statements. In other words, there are specific ways in which we can use premises to determine conclusions, and these ways make up logic.

"Common sense" generally involves the "knowing" of something, or having an implicit assumption (ie. "drugs are bad") that influences decision making.

Here's an example. You're standing on the edge of a busy highway, and you need to get to the other side? Why? Logic would say that if 1) cars are moving very fast, 2) you move very slowly, and 3) fast, heavy objects hitting you kill you, then C) it would be foolish to rush onto the highway. By evaluating that your three premises are true, your conclusion is therefore true. Common sense says "I could get killed."

So in some sense you could say "common sense" and logic are the same thing, just one is more formalized, but not in all cases.

Answer 3

BegemotikeJan 7 2001, 02:59 AM
I, personally, believe there to be a huge difference between common sense and logic, despite the fact that on the surface of it, they seem so closely related. What Ankh said pretty much coincides with what I believe...

Logic is making decisions and conclusions drawn from 'facts'. Things that, by process of investigation and thought, are believed to be true. Logic depends on rules and facts exclusivly, and it accepts nothing other than that.
The problem with logic is, of course, that it is only as good as the information you have - if it is faulty, or not complete, you're out of luck. What that leads to is that any belief you have can be 'proven' wrong at the blink of an eye, and vica verca.

Common sense is, for me, things that seem self evident, or just 'make sense'. Trying to pin things down with regards to it is nearly impossible, for that goes against the its very nature. Common sense might also be described as 'gut instinct' although for some people that can mean a lot of things. Of course, so does common sense.

Neither, of course, is infallible, (Common sense being easily affected by the society you have been raised in, what you are used to etc.) although I tend to favor common sense over logic.
The way I operate, which irks many people and draws ridicule from others, is I decide things by common sense, then examine the logic of the matter. If it is geometrically opposed to what I have decided, I will probably re-examine my original decision and change it. However, 'common sense' is still my way of living....... and it hasn't failed me yet. In fact, it's come through in spades, complete with logic supporting it. So I'm happy. A member of my family, on the other hand, is the exact opposite... and it seems to work well for him too.

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We do not live to work, rather, we work to live.
The problem with you is that you keep trying to unscrew the unscrutable.

Answer 4

The problem with this sytem is lack of context. If it were clear why you were asking, you'd get better answers (maybe).

You seem to be asking a semantic question, that is a question about the meanings of these two expressions. There are many uses of the word 'logic' -- there's a field of study within the field of philosophy called "Logic" or "Symbolic Logic" or "Formal Logic" but the word has other uses as well. Some of those uses overlap with the meaning of "common sense", so one answer could be "not much."

In general, I'd say that logic tends to have to do with structure. Common sense is what people say you lack when you do something that seems dumb to them.

Hope this helps....

Answer 5

YES!!! Why don't you take a class on logic and see if it makes any sense at all. When I took it in college it did not. Logic was more about understanding the meaning or whords and how we use them common sense isn't so complicates. Just because something is logical don't mean it is common sense.

Answer 6

Common sense is a natural trait that keeps you from doing something really stupid, most of the time. Logic is a series of events or triggers that lead to a conclusion. I guess logic would come from doing something in an orderly fashion.

It would be logical to assume that 2+2=4 but common sense would tell you that it's not a good idea to play with fire.

Answer 7

Logic and common sense do have a lot in common, one needing the other, but the difference is that common sense is more intuitive and logic is more scientifically based.

Answer 8

Thanks for your very interesting question.

To tell you the truth, I shouldn't answer this question because I don't have common sense and I am not logical.

I think common sense is the ability to get along in the real, practical world - Oh, I wish I did have this ability.

I think logic has to do with thought processes as in thinking in a logical, rational manner about problems and/or situations. For sure, I am not doing this. I am solving problems through intuition and/or gut instinct.

Well, even though I am bereft of these very good and necessary qualities, I hope I managed to answer this question.

Answer 9

Logic follows a strict set of rules - at it's most strict, logic is almost mathematical. Logic is also used in a more general, less rigorous sense. common sense isn not rigorously tested, or even argued. For instance, it is common sense to say that the Earth rises in the East and Sets in the West. Weall see that. We can even agree on it. But the truth is that we perceive the sun rising and setting. that perception is an artifact of the earth rotating around the sun.

Answer 10

This is hard to explain. If I am a chef, you would think that I always cook "Filet aux Champignons" in my kitchen. I f I am a Chinese chef you would think that I always serve Chinese food in my own home. Common sense is prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts. Now here comes the locic part. Since I am a chef, I cook professionally. For long periods of time I'm surrounded by haute cuisine. When I'm not working, I like to relax. I'd prefer pizza, cheese burger and fries, to "Filet aux Champignons" especially when someone else is cooking them. Common sense is plain while logic is reasonable.

Answer 11

In my opinion logic is the act of moving from point A to point B by deductive reasoning.

Common sense is when you are smart enough to not do stupid things.