Common sense & other issues

Post Reply New Topic

Greetings all,

I am a 22 year old student from London with Austism Spectrum Disorder: a diagnosis that was only formally made last year, even though the symptoms are plain to the naked eye (and all of the other senses).

I've been looking for an online community of fellow travellers for some time; it seems that this one receives frequent posts and has a substantial number of members, so I hope this place will be fruitful. However, the catalyst for my decision to register on here is not merely a desire for 'eternal reciprocity' (to pinch a phrase from Wilfred Owen). I realise that I'm causing great distress to the people around me, including myself, so I need some help and advise from people who understand my condition. I'm not very good at seeking help, since I'm contained within my own private lucubrations most of the time - an hereditary trait and not a helpful one - which means, I suppose, that this post a rare feat for me.

"Common sense" is matter of great frustration for me. I also have a difficulty explaining things I don't particularly want to confront or feel insecure about. Please bear with me; I'll be able to spit it out eventually. Another one of my faults, I'm afraid. I would probably be admonished for doing this; throughout my life, the people around me have found the solutions perfectly obvious and will accuse me of seeking pity and stopping myself from doing the work out of laziness or lack of real interest... which is probably what I'm doing. But I also want answers, and I finally want to change myself! Or maybe that's what I convince myself to think?

Is a lack of "common sense" prevalent amongst people with Aspergers and/or Autism?

depends how you define 'common sense', its a very abstract concept.

When it comes to things like logical and analytical tasks I would say we trump NT's but when it comes to social and nuance based tasks we do less well than NT's.

We're not less or better equipped; there is a trade off.


Sorry, in case you're unfamiliar with the terminology 'NT' stands for 'neurotypical' which means non-autistic.

I do not function well in ambiguous situations, but this doesn't change the fact that I cause problems with the errors I make on account of my difficulties. I either miss a significant element of the task or I do not pick the 'simplest' and 'best' solution, rather the most convoluted or "imaginative" one.

Can "common sense" be learnt? My partner says that I shouldn't think like that and simply "do it" but I don't know what I'm supposed to be analyzing when I approach a task. Is "common sense" merely the result of habit or can the 'best' way be reasoned a priori?

Social common sense: think of an answer to the question "Does this dress make me look fat?" Common sense says there is no right way to answer the question.

Environmental common sense: You are a soccer referee. It is really hot outside. Common sense says you should permit extra water breaks to prevent heat stroke/exhaustion/etc.

And yes, you can learn common sense. Surround yourself around positive thinkers and you might get some people that will help you.

A lack of common sense is prevalent amongst 90% of Earth's population, so I'm pretty sure whether or not someone has AS or Autism while lacking said sense is fairly irrelevent.

Having said that however, I will say that because of AS and Autism, thought processes may be hindered or may even loop on themselves causing inability to think properly. This is not an excuse, only an explanation.

depends on how you define common sense,
most of the people who say they have it dont, they simply use it as an argument when they cant think of any other way to be right.

if you mean actual rational thought to solve a particular problem then it is limited who has it, it can be learned but most people dont bother.

"Common sense" is feature which is most present in the neurotypicals. It kind of means "because everyone else does it". It's helpful in everyday issues but prevents the solving of more complex problems. In other words, it used to be an evolutionary advantage, like neurotypical herd thinking and social learning in general, but in our globalized world it now has also become a hindrance.

That's not really common sense though, that's "logical reasoning".

Common sense is best defined with the example of ordering a cup of coffee and knowing that it's more than likely hot in the cup. Whereas a lack of such sense would leave someone assuming that it's not.

Another example of common sense is: Ice cream obviously melts when it's heated to a certain temperature. A lack of such sense would leave people wondering why it melted in the 90 degree sun.

Yet another is: A stove burner is hot and you know it, so would you get burned if you put your hand on it? Common sense answer: Yes.

What can be defined as common sense, you ask? Answer: if someone asks you a question and your reply is "duh!" or "no crap (of course)" or "obviously" or "everyone knows that", then it pertains to common sense. If it does not, then one of two possibilities are occuring, either A)Both people lack common sense or B) it is not common sense.

Common sense does not = logical thought. And logical thought does not = common sense. Each can exist independently of each other, however logical though can lead to common sense, and vice verse.

For those who dispute my observation:

I give you the dictionary definitions of "Common Sense"

"Common sense is defined by Merriam-Webster as, "sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts."[1] Thus, "common sense" (in this view) equates to the knowledge and experience which most people already have, or which the person using the term believes that they do or should have. The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as, "the basic level of practical knowledge and judgment that we all need to help us live in a reasonable and safe way"."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_sense

Those are dictionary definitions, don't believe it, look them up in the dictionaries that this quote references.

(sorry for double posting, I figured this would go unnoticed if I edited and I was quoted while doing so)

And they say we lack theory of mind? A lot of people seem to not realize that not everyone has the same knowledge and experience as them so things that are "common sense" to them might be completely unknown to others.

Something that is known only to a few (some) isn't common sense though. Common sense is something that most people normally have, and is something that only people who live in a bubble or a severely protected life would lack. Yes, inexperience and lack of knowledge do lead to a lack of common sense, but if that's the case for most people in the world then there's something seriously wrong with our education system these days, because common sense was little in lacking back in the day.

Maybe I did live in a bubble or was seriously overprotected?

Like driving related things for example. I've never driven and never had a driver in my household so to many drivers things that are just "common sense" I probably have no knowledge or experience of.

I quit school and didn't do too well there. The last time I was in a normal class in a normal school was sixth grade.

many of those are logical inferences based on previous exeriences, ie. rational, you wouldnt need common sense for it perse.(that people cant see them as such means that that form of common sense only happens with a lack of that particular perspective)

most of the people i hear use the phrase "it is common sense" is talking about largely subjective issues with very little logic anywhere.

why dont you do x y or z, it's common sense?

as for the bolded part, i dont answer with any of those or anything like it, if i cant argue for something in a logical way there is no reason to do it, i also find them derogatory, you instill a sense of stupidity in epople when talkiong like that and i cant really respect those that do so.

the real problem with that common knowledge sort of sense is that it varies wildly, so in essence it might as well not exist, if i was setting up a server and explaining it to a lay person then every single sentence i said would fit the criterion of common sense, only it doesnt and i am arguing that there is nothing so common that you in any culture anywhere would find it exactly the same and that is what would be truly common sense.

Driving related things are considered common knowledge because most do it. I don't drive either. Common knowledge isn't always Common sense, the two can intermingle yes, but one is different than the other. Common Sense (as I see it) means "Common judgement" or common wisdom. Which is not the same as common knowledge.

I didn't say anything about stupidity, that was your interpretation of my words, and you can't respect me because of how you see my words? That alone, is utterly ridiculous because that tells me that you can't respect anyone that you personally make observations about in regards to their opinions and facts because you don't agree with how they represent them.

I've said this before to you, you don't know me, and I never said I personally responded that way either, but you made that judgement anyway (see bolded part). I don't care if you respect me, nobody has ever respected me or my opinions, nor the facts that I bring to a conversation anyway. But we're discussing common sense, and I brought the dictionary definiton of exactly that right after said post.