Is a Therapy for Fostering Common Sense Possible?

Abstract

One approach that can be taken to the study of common sense is to consider a model of common-sense knowledge-generation. This approach is useful because it offers the possibility of therapeutic interventions for individuals who appear to engage in highly unreliable knowledge-generation practices. The proposed model elaborates on this idea using the concept of ‘personal epistemologies’ that vary in the population leading away from, or to, common-sense knowledge and praxis. I argue that by providing a normative standard for knowledge-generation praxis, education theory and science can inform and fulfil the broad conceptual requirements of such an approach. Interesting and significant parallels are found with phenomenological theories of schizophrenia which investigate the loss of common sense and the educational theory and science based on Piaget’s constructivism, Vygotsky’s social constructivism and ‘rational constructivism’. These parallels emphasise common ground between these different domains of research. By outlining the main parallels between these different domains the approach taken can be used to augment and enrich the research scope and conceptual framework of existing therapeutic models. I argue that for certain identifiable groups this research approach could be incorporated into existing therapeutic interventions.