Common Sense vs Sociological Sense Essay -- Sociology Analysis

A wide range of people all over the world inaccurately come to the conclusion that sociology is merely, ‘the study of the obvious’ and the application of common sense, this statement could not be further from the truth. Common sense derives from statements such as, ‘opposites attract’, however the Sociological sense takes this belief and carries out numerous tests to discover whether it is fact, or fiction. Bauman regards common sense knowledge and common sense understandings as powerful social mechanisms which can fundamentally shape attitudes about the world in which humans live. Sociology is the ‘social science’ that studies human behaviour and characteristics based on their development within society. Common sense however is, what a person has learnt from society due to them being socialised. Michael Jacobson illustrates Bauman’s opinion of common sense, ‘Defamiliarization shatters the impenetrable walls of common sense that prevents us from experiencing and understanding the world anew’. Bauman’s argument depicts that humans have grown with society’s changes and are now dependent upon ‘common sense’ due to the lack of interest in exploring the world they live in at greater depths. This is reiterated further as Jacobson continues to exemplify Bauman’s argument, ‘he always points to the yet undiscovered human p otential and the – in principle- unlimited possibilities waiting to be uncovered by humanity beyond the constraining confines of common sense’. Bauman persistently disputes that if the human race was to distance themselves from any beliefs they have heard, or have been raised with, that are originated from common sense they would discover a world of greater potential. I have looked at three articles based on educatio... ...at life from unexpected and unexplored angles, constructing the well known as strange’. This strategy forms the link between the sociological sense and common sense. Common sense expects the individual to believe in society’s concepts and not further their own understanding by deciphering a certain belief as a sociologist. For instance the common sense belief that opposites attract, when scrutinized it seems that people are more likely to seem attractive if they share things in common with another person than if they had very different beliefs. This is the concept of sociology according to Bauman. Works Cited Hurd, G.E & Johnson, T.J (1963) Education and Development. Journal of The Sociological Review. Vol 15, No.1, pp59-7. Jacobsen, M.H and Poder, P. (eds). (2008). The sociology of Zygmunt Bauman: challenges and critique . Ashgate: Ashgate Publishing Ltd