In his Critique of the Faculty of Judgment, Kant defines common sense as "a power of judging which, in its reflection, takes into account in thought (a priori) the mode of representation of any other, so as to compare its judgment with the whole of human reason(§ 40).
The one who takes into account in his reflection common sense is a "man of open mind" capable of "rising above the subjective conditions of judgment, in which so many others cling, and being able to reflect on his own judgment from a universal point of view (which he can determine only by placing himself in the point of view of others)."
Inviting a child or adult to question what the common sense of his idea, embodied during the workshop by his peer group, would think is not necessarily to discredit his idea, nor to consider that the majority is always right.
It is simply a matter of teaching him to decentralize himself in order to develop a critical view of his own ideas, and to accept to be part of a community of reasons that enter into dialogue and walk together in reflection by sharing the same compass.
Finally, the problem facing the facilitator is to "know how to decide in a legitimate way when to break away and when to respect common sense" (Oscar Brenifier). It is according to the use one makes of it, according to whether one chooses to go beyond it or to refer to it at the appropriate moment, that common sense will be the ally or the enemy of philosophical reflection.
Comments