Conventional Wisdom Essay

Document Type:Research Paper

Subject Area:English

Document 1

He stated that it will be more convenient to name ideas that are esteemed for their general acceptability, and the name given should emphasize the predictability. He rounds by saying that such ideas should be referred to as conventional wisdom. Other literature materials have intimated that the terms “conventional wisdom” traces back as far as 1838 when it was used in other books prior to Galbraith’s. These authors used the term in a neutral or positive sense, but mostly pejoratively. Nonetheless, the previous ones used the term more or less like a synonym for the word ‘commonplace knowledge’. It is established that the inertia can go as far as after the paradigm shift has taken place between the competing conventional standpoint sets.

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Even the likes of Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner in Freakonomics are of the view that things should be looked at from a three dimensional perspective. They question the fact that some things exist, that there are certain stories, ideas and questions like the 1990 s crime crop, the real estate agents, causation versus correlation and information asymmetry that are in existence and wonders why. In reference to economics, he notes that people, the business community have made use of incentives to the extent that they cheat the system. they look at the world in a different fashion as see it as under some siege by the conventional wisdom (Adler, 106) Notably, the idea of conventional wisdom may apply or appear to be implied in the political sense.

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This is premised on the ideas that the new establishment would expose people as a gullible lot who are confused on matters past beliefs in ways they would find shocking (Holland, 807). Disapproval of Conventional Wisdom Despite the individual ability to predict or anticipate it, analysts across the private and public sector are of the view that people should be on the outlook for the unknown, or the yet to be discovered. In fact, the intelligence community plays major roles in identifying these threats and collating the available Intel on the probable crisis or areas of contention and taking an initiative of backing up the same then the state of the art computerized capacity. It also makes use of the stout human-based analysis that is rooted in expertise from across the globe (Baumgartner, Jody, & Peter, n.

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p). The best thing about science is that it bears no fears of challenging dogma. According to Johnson et al. , (2004), there is a compelling avalanche of evidence supporting the presence of germ cells that are known to give rise to follicles and oocytes in the postnatal period of mice development. There were debates in the 1920 s that revolved around the replenishment of germ cells in the pool of oocytes. Supplementary studies at the time had brought about dogma which held that there was a continuous supply of the oocytes from the fetal period and came to be accepted to be the fact of the matter among biologists in 1950 s (Bazer,n. While at it, it should be noted that at least a few of the estimates will come down with a thud on hard times due to the Unknown syndrome.

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In recent history, conventional thinking upended quickly in the wake of rapid political, social and economic change, perhaps due to the prevailing circumstances. An instance is the toppling of the ex Egyptian President Mubarak that occurred in 2011 and the weapons of mass destruction that occurred in Iraq in 2003. Further back into the Cold War era, the Soviet Union collapsed under serious circumstances ever witnessed in the world. In fact, its end was even faster than the conventional wisdom believed I later 80s, or the one in Chile in 1973. Interestingly, Washington had welcomed the coup when it occurred, having little comprehension of the aftermath, the brutal as well as repressive consequences of the outcome under the regime. History also documents that the conventional thinking is as a result of the overreliance on the singular intelligence sources or prominent exiles as concealing the Unknowns that lie hidden at the plain sight of the masses.

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It is also believed that exiles are the prime sources of such concealments and as such, may have the right ear of the fundamental political figures as well as the renowned policymakers. Based on their distance, nevertheless, it beats logic to think that they are better placed to provide the most accurate information and intelligence on a given situation of weighty consideration. It is not a secret that those relied on to provide information on such issues may have their own issues to attend to or personal agenda to attend to and which may not have serious correspondence with the expectations of the public. Essentially, the authoritarians rely on personalities or individuals to hold the masses into check. This, however, works exceedingly well until the tough economic times bite and when this happens, the dissidents come in large numbers and unrest comes willingly, albeit when no bridges can be mended.

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Conclusion This task crowns the discussion on conventional wisdom by holding that dogma and conventional wisdom have only served to lead to people through confusion and deceit. If the discoveries by Scientists, political players, and the press are anything to go by, then it should be a wake-up call for all and sundry to embrace themselves for a probable world of Unknowns. Johnston, for instance, has represented the challenges to an established world of dogma and conventional wisdom and only portend what lies ahead, the choice of adopting very exciting research procedures that will seek to either challenge the beliefs of the dogmas or conventional wise men or solidify their own establishments, doctrines, and findings.  Conventional wisdom and American elections: Exploding myths, exploring misconceptions.

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