Breaking walls to build bridges

TL;DRAbstract

Public support for social policies or movements is often determined by intuitive considerations, perceived as matters of common sense. Existing theories interpret these dispositions in one of two ways: either as genetic traits inherited from hominid ancestors (evolutionary psychology), or as reified elements of cultural practices (social constructivism). Both of these approaches imply that common sense is local and context-dependent, without any primordial components. Nevertheless, rationality cannot emerge in material environments without a set of necessary beliefs. This means that common sense incorporates universal elements as well. By treating shared factual knowledge as subjective and the basic intuitions as objective (not the other way around), it is possible to understand the roots of cultural paradigms and the parameters that lead to their change over time. The interplay between belief and knowledge determines the type of principles that have the strongest appeal in any society

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