“If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro’ narrow chinks of his cavern.”– William Blake ‘The Marriage of Heaven and Hell’ in G. Keynes, ed., Poetry and Prose of William Blake (London: Nonesuch Library 1961)
Francis Bacon insisted we must question everything and arrive at our knowledge through our grappling with first principles built on experience and engagement of the ‘thing itself’ – a commons which we all draw upon. Read more…
On Saturday June 29th from 2 – 4pm in the Central library in Edinburgh, please join us for an afternoon with Richard Gunn who will be telling us about Common Sense
Name of speaker and subject:
Richard Gunn – Common Sense
Title of talk:
Scottish Common Sense Philosophy and its Implications
My article falls into three parts. In the first, I attempt to answer such questions as “What is Scottish commom sense philosophy?” and “What, in the history of philosophy, does the term ‘common sense’ mean?”. That’s to say, my first section comments on the concept of common sense; in addition, it comments on ‘common sense’ as a term in the history of ideas.
My second section offers some thoughts on common sense and education. In particular, it asks why the notions of common sense and “general” education appear to be linked. Read more…
