Common Sense As a Cultural System Reaction Paper

Geertz and Common Sense

Geertz: Analysis Common Sense

I have come to agree with Geertz in his conclusion that common sense is shaped by the society and culture we live in. Geertz describes common sense as "a relatively organized body of considered thought" (p. 75). Throughout Local Knowledge, he refers to common sense as being based in history and personal experiences. He offers that myth and accepted generalizations in a society for the foundation of what we call common sense. I particularly agree with Geertz in his assessment of the way intersexuality confuses the biological science scene and communities because common sense generally places sexuality into two categories: "maleness and femaleness." There is no room for an in-between.

Common sense, as Geertz defines it, is more than the "matter-of-fact apprehension of reality" (pp. 75-76). Common sense can be viewed as a cultural system because it is a loosely organized body of knowledge, similar to a regime such as art, science, and religion, but different in being only a set of accepted, everyday beliefs and oversimplifications.According to Geertz, common sense is made up of reflections on experience, with these reflections debated, discussed, and organized into a culture-specific system of wisdom (p. 80). I would go further and say that common sense is based on group think and societal norms.

Geertz uses intersexuality to point out that common sense differs from culture to culture. To support this argument, he points out that most Americans regard intersexuality with "horror" (p. 82). I think that this is because it offends most people's common sense to imagine such a physical condition. Problems arise, however, when instead of going out, seeking knowledge, and formulating opinions, we just take another's word on things that we don't know or understand. We abandon common sense and instead of turning to the Internet, literature, and/or individuals with direct experience on a subject, we are content to absorb whatever we hear in passing from others. Often this is based on misinformation and ignorance.….....