“Common sense” is a troublesome concept.

It is hard to have a constructive discussion with someone who wields it self-righteously, insisting that their idea of what is “normal” or “obvious” is the only correct view and using it to judge or pressure others.

When such people say, “This is just common sense,” the conversation often stops there. You are left with the feeling that you have been branded unreasonable, someone lacking common sense or sound judgment.

Thomas Paine (1737–1809), a British-born political thinker and writer, published a pamphlet titled “Common Sense” in January 1776.

The........

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