Common sense is not only having a sound mind for judgment. It is abiding by the laws and societal expectations placed upon us by our communities. Those who espouse common sense often do not think logically, which is why there is so much fallibility and discriminatory commentary in the world today. Unfortunately, the people who speak the most are often the people without logic. In order to think logically, one can use the Socratic Method. It is a simple method that requires no formal education and can be readily applied to most situations.

There are six parts to the Socratic Method: locating a common sense statement, consider the arguments against it, test contradictory statements, take the exception into account, repeat the process, and come to a conclusion. For example, a person against all forms of abortion may choose to say that all Democrats are baby killers. To that person, it is a statement of common sense. Democrats tend to be pro-life to a certain degree. That person believes it, and it is likely that his or her peer group shares the same beliefs. Using the Socratic Method, a person seeking true common sense will have to investigate. They must imagine that the statement is false despite their own personal beliefs and knowledge. Regardless of whether or not they inherently agree common sense dictates that the person considers that not all Democrats are not all fully pro-choice, and the act is not actually baby killing.. Common sense requires that it be considered at least as an imprecise comment (Ex. 3.5).

Once an imprecision is found, the statement must be redefined with revision based on what was found during investigation. At the very most, the statement about Democrats would have to be revised to most Democrats are pro-choice. Democrats would have to be further questioned on their legitimacy, and it would have to be made clear that demographics and societal segregation played a role in the creation of this statement. Upon this decision, the steps must be repeated again to ensure that the revised comment is more precise (Ex. 3.5). The comment would be revised to read that most democrats are pro-choice.

Once the process is repeated until there are no alternatives, what remains is a common sense thought filled with accuracy and very little societal influence. It gets the reader closer to the objective truth about the situation without slander or false claims. As in the case of whether or not Democrats are baby killers, there can be a lot of societal influence on whether or not their friends will like the item or event decided upon. They too will be reluctant to go against societal common sense.

“Every society has notions of what one should believe and how one should behave in order to avoid suspicion and unpopularity” (Ex. 2.0). This is what is called common sense. To questions these societal norms seems crazy, but using the Socratic Method, one can truly identify what is sought without bias and without generalization. It leads a person to a truer calling. However, the decision to go against the grain of what society has accepted requires the Socratic Method, so the person can be prepared with arguments when they are discovered to have alternative thought patterns. Socrates himself seems to have enjoyed the act of going against the grain and asking people questions that were out of their comfort zones. He may not have been the most societally correct philosopher, but he was driven to get answers out of people. He would have relished the opportunity to question more people if he did not receive results initially. He would have eventually come to a common sense answer regardless of societal norm.