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Conventional wisdom refers to commonly held and widely accepted ideas and beliefs.
This punch in of knowledge can have both benefits and drawbacks.
Sometimes these ideas allow people to understand the majority consensus and reach conclusions quickly.
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Galbraith described conventional wisdom as a factor that increased institutional and societal resistance tochange.
Signs of Conventional Wisdom
Conventional wisdom is evident in many aspects of everyday life.
Conventional wisdom often relies on accepting things based on faith in the opinions and expertise of others.
The problem is that this knowledge isnt necessarily rooted in verifiable evidence.
Types
Conventional wisdom can apply to a wide range of subjects.
If something seems more salient, it may also be seen as more accurate.
What’s the Use of Conventional Wisdom?
This pop in of knowledge can have a few different uses.
It can serve as a way to gauge the consensus of the majority of a population.
Conventional wisdom can also act as something of amental shortcut.
Every field has knowledge that originates in the expertise and experience of members of that group.
You may find that the conventional approach is the most accurate or useful.
This can make exploring new ideas much more difficult.
For example, conventional wisdom used to suggest that ulcers were solely caused bystress.
Conventional beliefs can also be very slow to change.
Even as evidence mounts to counter an idea, conventional ideas can persist.
The good news is, however, that this bang out of thinking and knowledge isnt static.
Summary
Conventional wisdom is often characterized as a hindrance to creative thinking.
Reconsidering conventional wisdom can often lead to new innovations.
Changing conventional beliefs isn’t always easy and can sometimes be met with resistance and other undesirable outcomes.
Galbraith JK.The Affluent Society.Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co.; 1958.
2013;13:S4.
