COMMON KNOWLEDGE?

in·sti·tu·tion·al·ize 

1

: to make into an institution : give character of an institution to <institutionalized housing>; especially : to incorporate into a structured and often highly formalized system <institutionalized values>

2

: to put in the care of an institution

~ Merriam-Webster Dictionary

 

What Is Common Knowledge?

It's a phrase most of us have used more than once. Hoping to sound intelligent, we spout off some bit of trivia that we may or may not even fully understand ourselves, and when asked for a source which we cannot readily identify, we rattle off that phrase which is the last resort of the barely-informed: “It is common knowledge.”

Social constructionists might consider “common knowledge” to be a legitimate source of reference; after all, if perception is reality, what does it really matter where we get our information? What we hear most often, what we repeat, what we perceive to be the truth is, by definition, the truth, right?

Most of us hope not. We would like to think that our world is more reliably based on some objective form of knowledge, on information that can be proved or disproved, on ideas that have withstood critical challenge as well as the test of time. In general, we believe that an educated opinion holds more value than an assumption or simple repetition of ideas we heard somewhere, once upon a time.

Yet a surprising amount of our world view seems to be based primarily on information that has been imparted to us by sources we can't rightly remember, or assumptions based on a few individual experiences or observations, without really taking the time to research and think through many varying possibilities, points of view, or explanations. In fact, the more often we hear an idea repeated, the more likely we are to believe it - regardless of how rooted in fact that idea actually is.

Of course, this is due partially to our (very human) need to organize the massive amounts of information hurled at us on a daily basis. Consider the constant influx of thoughts, ideas, opinions, and “facts” thrown at us by the people who surround us, by books, magazines, televisions, computers, cell phones. Without a way of sorting through and storing these massive amounts of information, we would soon become overwhelmed and unable to function as individuals and members of our communities. 

The human mind has an essential need to find a way to categorize what we learn, to put it in a kind of mental filing system in order to understand and retrieve it at a later date. For this reason, the concept of “common knowledge” serves as a large storage box in our minds, where information that seems likely and easily believable can be stored and forgotten until we need it again. To believe whatever we see, whatever we hear, whatever is easiest and – perhaps most importantly – whatever we most want to believe is simply the most expedient way to get along in a world full of conflicting information and challenges that demand our constant attention.

Unfortunately, what is most expedient at the time is often not what serves us best in the long run. Uncritical repetition of concepts we consider to be “common knowledge” can in fact do us, and our communities, great harm in the long term. Such concepts, used repetitively and left unchallenged, form the basis of what psychologists refer to as “groupthink,” a kind of thought process that occurs when large groups of people fail to apply critical thought to some concept and instead simply go along with whatever someone said first, or said last, said most often, or was simply easiest to believe. Over time, these concepts can become part of an institutionalized way of thinking, and individuals who question or challenge the accuracy or usefulness of such institutionalized concepts are often disregarded or even shunned for “rocking the boat.” Indeed, institutionalized concepts can become so ingrained in a society that members of that society fail even to realize that they are engaged in supporting or promoting such concepts, and only come to recognize their existence on the rare occasions when they are unexpectedly challenged.

Thus are we socialized into a society of institutionalized beliefs that we rarely associate with ourselves. Institutionalized racism. Institutionalized sexism. Institutionalized prejudices of all kind. United States society is an especially self-involved, if not always self-aware, society. In fact, it sounds strange to even hear it - "United States society." We think of our society as American. We believe we define the very term "American." But we do not. America is not a country, but a continent - in fact, two continents, North America and South America. Hence, Mexicans are also Americans. Chileans are also Americans. Canadians are (gasp!) also Americans. Now tell me that doesn't change everything.

What we need is the permission, the encouragement, to turn these over-repeated and over-accepted concepts on their heads. We need to reconsider our place in our own communities, and in our global society. We need, in short, to think again.

INSTITUTIONALIZED is a blog that uses popular culture to draw attention to the various ways we are programmed by society to rely upon preconceived notions instead of utilizing critical thinking and analysis to address social dilemmas.

We at INSTITUTIONALIZED certainly do not have all the answers, so instead of trying to provide answers we will focus on trying to ask better questions. We hope our site will encourage you to do the same.

March 7, 2011

Are you in The Asylum?

Read more »

in·sti·tu·tion·al·ize 

1

: to make into an institution : give character of an institution to <institutionalized housing>; especially : to incorporate into a structured and often highly formalized system <institutionalized values>

2

: to put in the care of an institution

~ Merriam-Webster Dictionary

 

What Is Common Knowledge?

It's a phrase most of us have used more than once. Hoping to sound intelligent, we spout off some bit of trivia that we may or may not even fully understand ourselves, and when asked for a source which we cannot readily identify, we rattle off that phrase which is the last resort of the barely-informed: “It is common knowledge.”

Social constructionists might consider “common knowledge” to be a legitimate source of reference; after all, if perception is reality, what does it really matter where we get our information? What we hear most often, what we repeat, what we perceive to be the truth is, by definition, the truth, right?

Most of us hope not. We would like to think that our world is more reliably based on some objective form of knowledge, on information that can be proved or disproved, on ideas that have withstood critical challenge as well as the test of time. In general, we believe that an educated opinion holds more value than an assumption or simple repetition of ideas we heard somewhere, once upon a time.

Yet a surprising amount of our world view seems to be based primarily on information that has been imparted to us by sources we can't rightly remember, or assumptions based on a few individual experiences or observations, without really taking the time to research and think through many varying possibilities, points of view, or explanations. In fact, the more often we hear an idea repeated, the more likely we are to believe it - regardless of how rooted in fact that idea actually is.

Of course, this is due partially to our (very human) need to organize the massive amounts of information hurled at us on a daily basis. Consider the constant influx of thoughts, ideas, opinions, and “facts” thrown at us by the people who surround us, by books, magazines, televisions, computers, cell phones. Without a way of sorting through and storing these massive amounts of information, we would soon become overwhelmed and unable to function as individuals and members of our communities. 

The human mind has an essential need to find a way to categorize what we learn, to put it in a kind of mental filing system in order to understand and retrieve it at a later date. For this reason, the concept of “common knowledge” serves as a large storage box in our minds, where information that seems likely and easily believable can be stored and forgotten until we need it again. To believe whatever we see, whatever we hear, whatever is easiest and – perhaps most importantly – whatever we most want to believe is simply the most expedient way to get along in a world full of conflicting information and challenges that demand our constant attention.

Unfortunately, what is most expedient at the time is often not what serves us best in the long run. Uncritical repetition of concepts we consider to be “common knowledge” can in fact do us, and our communities, great harm in the long term. Such concepts, used repetitively and left unchallenged, form the basis of what psychologists refer to as “groupthink,” a kind of thought process that occurs when large groups of people fail to apply critical thought to some concept and instead simply go along with whatever someone said first, or said last, said most often, or was simply easiest to believe. Over time, these concepts can become part of an institutionalized way of thinking, and individuals who question or challenge the accuracy or usefulness of such institutionalized concepts are often disregarded or even shunned for “rocking the boat.” Indeed, institutionalized concepts can become so ingrained in a society that members of that society fail even to realize that they are engaged in supporting or promoting such concepts, and only come to recognize their existence on the rare occasions when they are unexpectedly challenged.

Thus are we socialized into a society of institutionalized beliefs that we rarely associate with ourselves. Institutionalized racism. Institutionalized sexism. Institutionalized prejudices of all kind. United States society is an especially self-involved, if not always self-aware, society. In fact, it sounds strange to even hear it - "United States society." We think of our society as American. We believe we define the very term "American." But we do not. America is not a country, but a continent - in fact, two continents, North America and South America. Hence, Mexicans are also Americans. Chileans are also Americans. Canadians are (gasp!) also Americans. Now tell me that doesn't change everything.

What we need is the permission, the encouragement, to turn these over-repeated and over-accepted concepts on their heads. We need to reconsider our place in our own communities, and in our global society. We need, in short, to think again.

INSTITUTIONALIZED is a blog that uses popular culture to draw attention to the various ways we are programmed by society to rely upon preconceived notions instead of utilizing critical thinking and analysis to address social dilemmas.

We at INSTITUTIONALIZED certainly do not have all the answers, so instead of trying to provide answers we will focus on trying to ask better questions. We hope our site will encourage you to do the same.

March 7, 2011

Are you in The Asylum?

Read more »