The Rise and Fall of Common Sense

Working with what was once called common sense, was to do things in a reasoned and logical way to produce a beneficial outcome. Since early times, humans sought the way to a better lifestyle. Three previous attempts introduced some common sense and provided benefits to their followers. After initial success, later generations of elite led them astray. Conditions worsened. This fourth attempt was built on knowledge learned from previous attempts with new features added. Originating in Western Europe and the British Isles, its way of life became known as Modern Western Civilization.

Through international trade, colonization and missionary work, its benefits were taken to the rest of the world. In the 300 years after 1700 CE, its adoption by many people doubled human life expectancy, increased humanity’s population ten-fold and removed more people from the relative poverty of their ancestors, than all previous civilizations combined.

Modern Western Civilization is a common sense attitude, not a geographic location. Adopting that attitude enables people to work out the best thing to do. The feature that separates common sense from other practices is that it gives those who use it the best outcome from any given situation. The best is hard to beat. Those who use it have advantages over those who don’t. Within countries and communities, the more people adopt that attitude, the better off they will be!

They are not conspiracies invented by Western Europeans. They are attitudes in tune with the natural way everything in the universe functions. You cannot reasonably claim knowledge of human history, politics or current affairs without knowing how past generations interacted with, or ignored, common sense.

This tells the origins of common sense among the populace and shows the benefits it generated for them. Centuries later, their elite changed their followers’ attitude. That led to the downfall of the three previous attempts. Living standards plummeted. Despite the obvious benefits this fourth attempt has given to humanity, the current elite seem intent on removing common sense from within the Modern Western World. Living standards are already declining.

As was once said: “… they know not what they do!”

It is time to make common sense common again.