Why do so many people, Christians, Atheists, and others believe in the fantasy of "common sense"?

Question

It is easy for an adult (especially a childless adult) to look back rationally on their upbringing and say that their parents were mistaken in teaching fantasy to them as a young child. “I am moral and have common sense; I obey (mostly) the laws, and I am a good person. I never needed Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny to become who I am now and I will not teach them to my children. I will raise them to be rational and moral like me.”

Common sense is NOT common and it is not picked up through osmosis from society! It is taught from a very early age and is reinforced constantly by parents, teachers, and guardians to create the groundwork for the later stages of rational decision.

Your parents that read to you almost every night from Aesop’s Fables before your could read; your grandparents that told you stories about their lives when times were hard and how they had to labor in the fields to earn a penny then bought an entire candy store with it; your kindergarten teacher that read from Grimm’s Fairytales while you napped, the stories of Dick and Jane and their dog Spot as you learned to read; the baby sitter that read to you stories of brave Hercules and Odysseus from a Greek Myths Abridged for Children picture book.

And let’s not forget our electronic sitters. Children’s cartoons and silly shows ranging from the inane all the way to thinly veiled rip offs of classic stories. Disney may soften up the stories and change them a bit, but the bad guys NEVER win, and the children ARE listening.

You cannot hand a 4 year old child a copy of Plato’s Republic and expect them to do any more then drool on the cover. You could read to a child from the CA state law handbook as a bedtime story if you really wanted them to fall asleep, but I doubt that they will remember any of it while they eat breakfast to their favorite cartoon filled with talking bears and electronic toys that come to life and do battle.

Yes I admitt that it is a bit of a rant. I am frustrated of reading answers from some people who seem to believe that they were born knowing right from wrong because they know it now as "common sense".

I am not claiming that we were all raised the same, I would love to learn indevidual stories of when each of you first started to be able to move from taught morals to a general sense of right and wrong.

...individual...

Answer 1

I grew up believing in all the standard "fantasies" that most people teach their children, and I raised both my sons the same way. None of the "fantasies" I believed in or the ones my children believed in have EVER tampered with my judgement of the truth because that was a stage in our lives that already passed. Those "fantasies" are the most treasured memories of my childhood and so are the memories of my children. And, besides, I've never, ever met a person, relative or friend, that has had an opinion on childhood fantasies different from mine. You must be a very resentful, anger, and bitter person to think in such way, OR, you're a brainswahsed Jehovah Witness.

Answer 2

I agree with you in some areas, but not all. Yes, those good parents and grandparents teach us a lot. A great teacher is never forgotten.

Why would you not include the Easter Bunny and Santa, if going with Grimm's Fairy Tales and Aesop's Fables is okay? Santa and The Easter Bunny represent fun times to look back on when a child gets older. I'm not even speaking religion-wise, I'm speaking about the look in a child's eyes...

Why would you think that society in general has nothing to do with the common sense a child learns--at a certain age the children are not solely among parents, relatives and teachers. They do pick things up from outsiders and peers, as well. (My parents neglected to teach me certain etiquettes that I picked up from the kids I knew--the parents taught me very good manners, but not everything I needed to know when with others--the teachers basically scared me into learning schoolwork and rules there, only).

Some children have parents who work all day, and know their overburdened daycare workers better than the family. They see other kids acting up at early ages--and some think that is perfectly fine--regardless of what they were taught by relatives--a few stand their ground, but not the majority.

I've seen different children from the same family go in opposite directions--even though taught by the same people. Therefore, common sense continues to be learned (or unlearned) well after the formative years.

Answer 3

I am just trying to wrap myself around your question and statement. You say "why do so many Christians, Atheists and others believe in the fantasy of "common sense"? Then you say you have common sense. So you are living in a fantasy?


You are not a Christian, Atheist or other believer. What category or belief (or lack of) does that put you in?

I really just don't get your question, dude. It doesn't make any sense.

Answer 4

Of course we learn things from our parents, our grandparents, and from passing through life. We are the total sum of our experiences. And your point would be?

Additionally, my childhood was quite different from yours. By the time I was three I was reading on my own. I entered kindergarten with a second-grade reading level. Don't presume that everyone had the same life as you did. That's arrogant.

Answer 5

properly made factor! I agree one hundred%. even regardless of the undeniable fact that i do no longer think there's a heaven or a hell, i recognize what the concept Christianity has approximately them. to need the utmost undesirable ingredient on a man or woman for all eternity is unquestionably a cruel and vile act. i does no longer desire eternal discomfort and suffering on all of us, yet they throw the word approximately casually.

Answer 6

Common sense, conventional wisdom, collective hunch, public opinion, self evident truth, and espirtit de corp. When you become adept at these, move on the later stages of human development. Take your time...

Answer 7

A child that knows no God may not have the same opinion about sin as the child that was taught about God...

Answer 8

I disagree with your simplistic logic
this may be true for you ....
fantasy is a tool for developing creativity
if you can dream it you can make it
how dull your world would be with only things of the past

Answer 9

roflmao....

I believed in Santa Clause. My nephew believes in Santa Clause. So what?

Eventually you realize that its all pretend and you move on. Thats life.

Common sense IS common unless you're mired in your religion.

Answer 10

whose to say that those talking about common sense...weren't taught it? It's called good upbringing.