Common sense is non-sense & the role of social science

Misinformation and vitriolic victim-blaming dominate politics in England. As we enter another five-year period under Conservative rule, policy may still roll out the old ‘what works?’ mantra but with little pretence for who it works. The government will be seeking to implement what works for popularity. What works for individuals mired in fear, frustration, anger and disgust. Much of which emotion is directed, not at those in power that have presided over ever-expanding inequality, but at those who are the victims of it.

As we anticipate this bombardment, stoked through the media with the return of Benefits Street, Social Science must mount a defence. Bypassing all research and evidence, this form of political rhetoric and propaganda targets its knockout blow on emotion; provoking alarm, guilt, pride and hate. Protected as common sense, it is interlaced with deliberate misdirection, wilful misinterpretation and harmful ignorance.

Common sense is seductive, it offers easy short-cuts to insight and a clear target. If something is common sense, if it is just known to be, then the answer appears obvious. By extension, this then needs no questioning. The trump card of those who use it, common sense answers ‘how do we know this to be true?’ with ‘we just do’. No further explanation required. This is a siren call to those feeling insecurity in times of great uncertainty. Frustrations fester and allow the space for policy such as workfare programmes that solve nothing besides the urge to punish.[1]

And so here lies the purpose of the Social Sciences; Sociologists must take on and accessibly and visibly dismantle common senses that search backwards for anecdotal evidence to validate pernicious ideologies. They must loudly and relentlessly make clear exactly whose truth is being presented while asking which voices are being silenced when it shouts.

The taking of pride, as much political posturing seems to do, on the basing of policy and practice on the non-sense of common sense- on feelings, hunches, notions and ideas- has to be unremittingly confronted. We call all do this and do so directly.

Intuition drives us all and common sense contains many paradoxes. It arises from, what Berger and Luckmann identify as the stocks of knowledge which we jointly and individually hold. These are quick shorthands of ingrained habits, customs, myths and rituals.[2] Gramsci notes there is much good sense to be found hidden here. Just as those who use our stocks of knowledge for insidious purposes do, so we too can appeal to those, utilising the good sense in common sense to combat these ideologies[3].

Rigorous research by sociologists at Teesside University found no evidence to support theories of intergenerational cultures of worklessness[4], yet Conservative party practice endlessly returns to this position as a truth. When those in power chose to ignore that which does not suit their ideological goals it is up to us all to talk, share and support research such as this. To relentlessly challenge the power of stupid ideas[5]. We have to ask what form of social policy and practice we want. Some fights cannot be walked away from, the persistent building of policy on non-sense is one of them.

Katy Mcewan is a PhD Researcher at Teesside University and tweets from @KatyJMc



[1] http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/28/help-to-work-britains-jobless-forced-workfare-unemployed

[2] https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Social_Construction_of_Reality.html?id=Jcma84waN3AC

[3] https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/stuart-hall-alan-oshea/danger-of-common-sense

[4] http://www.jrf.org.uk/blog/2012/12/cultures-worklessness

[5] https://workingclassstudies.wordpress.com/2015/05/11/the-power-of-stupid-ideas-three-generations-that-have-never-worked/

One thought on “Common sense is non-sense & the role of social science

  1. this just doesn’t accord with the voting behaviours in the autonomy and municipal elections in spain yesterday.the striking emergence of new parties ,and the shock waves battering the traditional blocs,are salutary.in our pueblo,catral,the youth vote was crucial.turn-out was v.respectable and the various issues were debated far above the ya-boo level.credit where it’s due,including fair media coverage.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Compass started
for a better society
Join us today