COMMON KNOWLEDGE
Throughout the course of their academic careers, students will hear the phrase “common knowledge” repeated on a regular basis. This phrase means different things to different people, and invoking it often causes more problems than it solves.
Overview:
Common knowledge is a difficult concept to understand, and it is an even more difficult issue to handle responsibly. Simply put, some people believe that there is a pool of information that “everyone knows.” However, it is almost impossible to figure out what is in this pool. Too many people come from too any different backgrounds, and even people from the same backgrounds frequently disagree. Additionally, many things that were once considered “common knowledge” that “everyone knows” have later turned out to be falsehoods.
Application:
Students and instructors alike have ideas about what is common knowledge. Sometimes, instructors will tell students that there is no need to look up or to cite facts that are “common knowledge.” However, students should typically be sure to cite anything they learn from another source, just to be safe. More importantly, everyone in an academic setting should be careful about what is assumed to be true. After all, things like the shape of the planet, the organization of the solar system, and the relative abilities of certain races and genders in intellectual pursuits have all been associated with blatantly incorrect assumptions that went unchallenged as “common knowledge” at different points in history.
Consider two circumstances where a student might be tempted to assert a claim without support, arguing that the claim needs no support because it is “common knowledge.”
In the first instance, imagine that a student wants to make a claim about lowering the drinking age in the U.S. and claims that “people in Europe have fewer problems with alcohol abuse” than people in the U.S. This claim might be believed by the student. However, depending on what is being counted as a problem, and depending on which of the many countries in Europe is being studied, the exact opposite might be true.
In another example, think about the claim still believed by many people today that humans only use a small fraction of their brain (10% was the old myth). Someone who believes this myth might repeat it, actively misinforming others—by accident.
What to Avoid:
Avoid falling into the “everyone knows” trap. If, as a writer, you find yourself making some sort of factual claim, try to ask yourself how you know that claim to be true. When doing research, do not accept sources that make an appeal to validity based on unproven assumptions. Try not to assume you are right. If at all possible, learn a little more about even those facts you are certain about. Looking something up might result in a bit more effort, but it can also result in learning something new or in confirming a long-held belief. Either case is better than being caught stating something that is wrong.
Throughout the course of their academic careers, students will hear the phrase “common knowledge” repeated on a regular basis. This phrase means different things to different people, and invoking it often causes more problems than it solves.
Overview:
Common knowledge is a difficult concept to understand, and it is an even more difficult issue to handle responsibly. Simply put, some people believe that there is a pool of information that “everyone knows.” However, it is almost impossible to figure out what is in this pool. Too many people come from too any different backgrounds, and even people from the same backgrounds frequently disagree. Additionally, many things that were once considered “common knowledge” that “everyone knows” have later turned out to be falsehoods.
Application:
Students and instructors alike have ideas about what is common knowledge. Sometimes, instructors will tell students that there is no need to look up or to cite facts that are “common knowledge.” However, students should typically be sure to cite anything they learn from another source, just to be safe. More importantly, everyone in an academic setting should be careful about what is assumed to be true. After all, things like the shape of the planet, the organization of the solar system, and the relative abilities of certain races and genders in intellectual pursuits have all been associated with blatantly incorrect assumptions that went unchallenged as “common knowledge” at different points in history.
Consider two circumstances where a student might be tempted to assert a claim without support, arguing that the claim needs no support because it is “common knowledge.”
In the first instance, imagine that a student wants to make a claim about lowering the drinking age in the U.S. and claims that “people in Europe have fewer problems with alcohol abuse” than people in the U.S. This claim might be believed by the student. However, depending on what is being counted as a problem, and depending on which of the many countries in Europe is being studied, the exact opposite might be true.
In another example, think about the claim still believed by many people today that humans only use a small fraction of their brain (10% was the old myth). Someone who believes this myth might repeat it, actively misinforming others—by accident.
What to Avoid:
Avoid falling into the “everyone knows” trap. If, as a writer, you find yourself making some sort of factual claim, try to ask yourself how you know that claim to be true. When doing research, do not accept sources that make an appeal to validity based on unproven assumptions. Try not to assume you are right. If at all possible, learn a little more about even those facts you are certain about. Looking something up might result in a bit more effort, but it can also result in learning something new or in confirming a long-held belief. Either case is better than being caught stating something that is wrong.
