Vincent Ryan Ruggiero“What happened to common sense?” is as much a lament as a question, and it is heard frequently today from those who grew up when common sense was valued in our culture. Asking “what happened” to common sense suggests that it was displaced and we are the worse for its loss. But what exactly took its place, what problems has its loss created, and where are those problems most manifested today?
The term common sense refers to thoughts that are logical, reasonable, sensible, sane, and valid. Central to common sense is the conviction that truth is objective—that is, the same for everyone. That conviction has been replaced by the belief that truth is subjective—in other words created by individuals. Expressions of this belief include “Right you are if you say you are” and “What you believe to be true is true for you,” and “No one can say someone else’s truth is wrong.”
These expressions are totally false. Truth cannot be created, and the notion that it can has caused a wide range of problems. The following ones are especially noteworthy:
1) The false view of truth undermined the study of history. If what happened in the past is a matter of personal preference, there is no reason to include it in curriculums.
2) The same false view closed minds to learning. If we can find our own truth, there is no point in paying attention to parents, teachers, and other authority figures. Moreover, if we create our own truth from within, there is no need to support it with research or evidence.
3) The false view also led to the belief that we not only have a right to our opinions, but our opinions are therefore right and other people should not criticize them but accept them. To challenge our views is considered an insult to us and our “truth.”
These three problems underlie many of the troubling and often strange events that have occurred in recent years. A few examples:
RECLASSIFYING POLICE FROM DEFENDERS TO ASSAILANTS
There is a movement in numerous communities to eliminate police departments and (in at least some of the cases) to replace the officers with social case workers. The absurd rationale seems to be that, despite rising levels of crime, the need for counseling is greater than the need for protection.
ABANDONING THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN LEGALITY AND ILLEGALITY
a) One president violates the law that was created for controlling migration, thereby flooding the nation with millions of migrants and causing countless problems for the country, including serious crimes. b) Numerous religious leaders support the violations, and many mayors and governors provide sanctuary to the illegal entrants. c) The next president upholds the law by deporting those who entered the country illegally. d) Supporters of the violating president oppose the upholding president and attempt to prevent his restoration of law. They also argue for all illegals to be treated as citizens and given the benefits of citizenship. And they not only oppose deportation, but denounce, threaten, and even assault officers who do their jobs as the law demands.
CHANGING LAWS TO SUIT OFFICIALS’ OR LEGISLATORS’ PREFERENCES WITHOUT REGARD FOR LOGIC OR PRECEDENT
For instance, changing shoplifting to a misdemeanor or, for that matter, no crime at all, even for values near $1000. And freeing criminals even for grave offenses.
WEAKENING THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN EXCELLENCE AND MEDIOCRITY
Examples: Schools and colleges changing grading systems to make courses easier to pass and ending rewards for excellence. Lowering proficiency standards for members of the military. Adopting business hiring practices that emphasize diversity of race and gender rather than achievement.
DENYING BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MALES AND FEMALES
College officials argue that men have no physical advantages over women and allow biological males to play on female sports teams and share locker rooms. Judges and medical professionals assert that men can bear children.
If we continue embracing such nonsense, we will destroy our culture. The only way to recover common sense is to accept the fact that truth cannot be created—it can only be discovered, and that requires acknowledging our human limitations, discarding the myth of “my truth” and “your truth,” and seeking the truth.
The good news is that this can be accomplished and the culture can be changed. The bad news is that for it to happen, millions of people need to make the change personally, and powerful forces stand against that happening.
Copyright 2026 by Vincent Ryan Ruggiero. All rights reserved.
