What is conventional wisdom?

Answer 1

"It was John Kenneth Galbraith, the hyperliterate economic sage, who coined the phrase 'conventional wisdom.' He did not consider it a compliment. 'We associate truth with convenience,' he wrote, 'with what most closely accords with self-interest and personal well-being or promises best to avoid awkward effort or unwelcome dislocation of life. We also find highly acceptable what contributes most to self-esteem.' Economic and social behavior, Galbraith continued, 'are complex, and to comprehend their character is mentally tiring. Therefore we adhere, as though to a raft, to those ideas which represent our understanding.'

"So the conventional wisdom in Galbraith’s view must be simple, convenient, comfortable, and comforting--though not necessarily true. It would be silly to argue that the conventional wisdom is never true. But noticing where the conventional wisdom may be false--noticing, perhaps, the contrails of sloppy or self-interested thinking--is a nice place to start asking questions."

Steven D. Levitt, Freakonomics, Harper Collins, 2005, pp. 89-90.

Answer 2

Conventional wisdom is wisdom that we use for practical purposes.

Answer 3

It's what "everybody" knows. Examples: kids respond to love...it's less trouble to fix a problem when it's small than to let it get worse...keep the bull locked up if you don't want calves...if you wash your car, it'll rain (what everybody knows isn't always logical or correct)...milk will sour more quickly if not kept cold...violetindigobluegreenyelloworangered...and so forth.
(Also, your computer won't always let you correct typo's.)

Answer 4

The wisdom of this world....which is foolishness with God....for the world with all its wisdom knew not God...neither recognizes Him, neither His Son Jesus Christ.

Answer 5

It's what the majority thinks or would think or say.

Answer 6

It's what you rename "peer pressure" once you are an adult.

Answer 7

To know what you truly are not!