Breaking the Shackles of Conventional Wisdom: Why You Should Challenge Common Knowledge
Introduction
Throughout our lives, we are taught to accept what we learn as absolute truth or fact. From our first breaths, we are bombarded with information from our surroundings, peers, and family members. Consequently, we form opinions and beliefs about the world around us and accept them as true. We often don’t even bother to question them, leaving ourselves vulnerable to being misinformed and misled. However, quite often, the conventional wisdom that we take for granted is misguided, incomplete, or even plain wrong. In this blog post, we aim to discuss the importance of challenging conventional wisdom and explain why it’s essential to embrace critical thinking.
The Danger of Conventional Wisdom
Conventional wisdom is the common knowledge that has been accepted as true, but it is based on anecdotal evidence or widely held beliefs with no real evidence to support them. For example, most people believe that drinking eight glasses of water per day is good for our health. However, there is no scientific evidence to support this claim. In reality, our water consumption should be based on our body requirements, exercise regime, and individual requirements.
Similarly, there are many conventional wisdoms that have become ingrained in society and culture, like, ‘Do not swim immediately after you eat,’ or ‘we need to be productive to achieve success.’ But what we fail to realize is that these statements are not entirely accurate and lack any evidence-based support.
Why Challenge Conventional Wisdom?
There are several reasons why we should challenge conventional wisdom, such as:
1. It helps us to discover new insights and ideas that we wouldn’t have considered before.
2. It allows us to evolve and grow as individuals, learning from what we know and don’t know.
3. It helps us to make better, more informed decisions, avoiding mistakes and pitfalls.
4. It can lead to innovation and creativity, which benefits society and business.
Challenging conventional wisdom is a crucial aspect of critical thinking. Critical thinking is the ability to assess information and ideas, critically analyze them, and develop logical conclusions. By questioning what we know to be true, we open ourselves to different perspectives and opinions, providing us with the opportunity to grasp a better understanding of the world around us.
Examples of Challenging Conventional Wisdom
Let’s look at some examples of how we can challenge conventional wisdom:
1. Grading Systems: Traditional grading systems have been used in schools and universities for decades, and most people see this as an accurate way of measuring performance. However, studies have shown that grades can be subjective, limiting creativity, and not always being a reliable indicator of a student’s knowledge or skills. Therefore, educators have begun to explore alternative assessment methods, such as project-based assessments, peer evaluations and balance of students learning process.
2. Work Productivity: Conventional wisdom dictates that we need to be productive and focus for eight to ten hours at work per day. But research shows that working for more extended hours results in diminishing returns, which can have a negative impact on our health and well-being. Therefore, there has been an exploration of alternative working policies and flexible work hours, focus on tasks, and creativity to produce the same amount and quality of work.
Conclusion
Breaking the shackles of conventional wisdom is not easy. Still, it’s essential to be open to new ideas and perspectives to evolve and move forward. Challenge commonly held beliefs, critically assess what we know to be true, and keep an open mind towards alternative opinions to obtain better and broader insights. In today’s dynamic and ever-changing world, it’s imperative to understand that the only constant is change, and accepting conventional wisdom as fact without any discussions can hinder our potential to learn and grow. Critical thinking and constantly asking ‘why?’ can lead to innovation, creativity, and more progressive mindsets.
