Appeals to Common Sense Don’t Convince Anyone
Something vital gets lost when a pundit or politician insists the answer to a polarizing question is self-evident.
Not buying it.
Photographer: FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesIf you hear a politician or salesperson or, for that matter, opinion columnist invoke common sense, beware. When people say a particular view on immigration, foreign policy, abortion or climate is just “common sense” they are implying that those who disagree have no common sense — and therefore must be idiots.
It’s a widespread rhetorical tactic. Former President Donald Trump often appeals to common sense — whether on immigration or Jan. 6. President Biden has asked for “common-sense gun control.” The Union of Concerned Scientists used the phrase in an argument about climate change. I even used it in a column about Covid mask policies.