SOICOLOGY AN

COMMON SENS
Topic 1.c
Paper – 1
Sociology and Common S
Need to ponder
If sociology is study of obviou
application of common sen

But common sense lacks validit

presents itself as a mere asse
 Common Sense
Weber
Routine knowledge we have of our
world and activities

Alfred Schutz
Organised, typiûed stocks of tak
granted knowledge
And generally not questione
 Point of Similarities
Sometimes folk wisdom is close t
For ex give a person a bad name a
be blamed for many things m

Howard Beckers
Labelling theory of devianc
Common sense is often related to
relationships, social setting or ins
which fall under purview of soc

Common sense gives raw mater

sociology

Common sense can even be supp

sociological theories
 Point of Differences
Common sense is status quoist but sociology professes ac
It even debates structure and agency intellectua
(man-society dualism- man creates society or vice v

Sociology is sceptic while common sense is enforced throu

Peter Berger: <debunking= attitude towards world taken fo
Irreverent attitude towards religion (Durkheim, Weber a

Common sense explains many things irrationall

For ex poverty is due to wish of god

Sociology is veriûed, self-correcting and academic dis

Common sense is assumptive which sometimes is discontinuo

(for example opposite attracts as well as ûght)
Also, common sense not coherent across countries an
Common sense has speciûc roles an
assigned for genders, poor, tr
(stereotypes)
Margaret mead study of tribals in pa
guinea region found certain gend
reversal contrary to common s

Common sense is highly value la

Sociology attempts to be objectiv
scientiûc

Common sense lacks validity and re

Post modernist claim that sociology is no
common sense as there is nothing as

Anthony Giddens has said that soci

investigation often becomes comm
For ex sociological investigation of mari
have made people believe that marria
business

Phenomenonlogists
attempting to study <what= people do an
people do certain things
 Poverty

Common Sense
problem families, low intellige

Sociology
Structure of inequality in society,
irregularity of wages
 Gramsci – Creation of Common Sens

Role of <common sense=, i.e. dominant ideas abou

about our place in it, in producing cultural h

For example, the idea that one can succeed monet

tries hard enough, is a form of common sense tha
under capitalism, and that serves to justify

For, if one believes that all it takes to succeed is h

dedication, then it follows that the system of cap
social structure that is organized around it is j

It also follows that those who have succeeded eco

earned their wealth in a just and fair manner, and
struggle economically in turn have earned their d
state

This form of common sense fosters the belief tha

social mobility are strictly the responsibility of th
thus obscures the real class, racial, and gender i
are built into the capitalist system