The Disappearing Intelligence of Common Sense
June 23, 2026
“Why practical wisdom may be today’s most undervalued competitive advantage.”
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My father often reminded me, “You can take all the education in the world and without common sense it is like putting books on the back of an ass.” While blunt, his observation captured an important truth that seems increasingly relevant today. For generations, common sense was considered one of the most valuable forms of intelligence. It required no advanced degree, no complex model, and no specialized training—just the ability to observe reality, recognize patterns, and make practical decisions. Yet in today’s business and political environments, common sense often appears to be in short supply. Instead, we find ourselves surrounded by information, opinions, and competing narratives that can obscure simple truths. Psychologist Barry Schwartz explored this challenge in his book The Paradox of Choice, arguing that an abundance of options and information can make decision-making more difficult rather than easier.
The problem is compounded by incentives that often reward short-term thinking over long-term judgment. According to the research of Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman, human beings are prone to cognitive biases that can distort decision-making, particularly when emotions, uncertainty, and group pressures are involved. In business, leaders may prioritize quarterly results over sustainable growth. In politics, elected officials often focus on satisfying vocal constituencies rather than pursuing broadly practical solutions. What many people describe as a lack of common sense is frequently the result of incentives that encourage complexity, partisanship, and reactionary thinking instead of clear-eyed judgment and practical problem-solving.
Perhaps the real lesson is that common sense has not disappeared—it has become a competitive advantage. In an age of endless distractions, the ability to focus on first principles remains remarkably powerful. Successful entrepreneurs still ask simple questions: Does this solve a real problem? Does it create value? Is it sustainable? Likewise, effective leaders often rely on timeless principles such as honesty, accountability, and personal responsibility. As management thinker Peter Drucker famously observed, “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” In a world overflowing with information, those who can consistently apply sound judgment and practical wisdom may possess one of the rarest forms of intelligence today.
