How many aspects of a person\u2019s average day\u00a0happen on autopilot? Think of situations where we think we already know the rules: driving on the correct side of the road, putting a stamp on a letter before mailing it, returning a smile, or responding with a nod.\u00a0It\u2019s given that everyone is on the same page. But is it?\u00a0According to cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker, there\u2019s a complexity to the idea of \u201ccommon knowledge\u201d and exploring the logic behind these shared experiences can impact our social, political, and economic lives.<\/p>\n
In his newest book\u00a0When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows\u2026,<\/em>\u00a0Pinker details how common knowledge is necessary for everyday functioning within a society. This ranges from practical measures like using the correct currency to make a purchase, to social applications like speaking the same language and gathering at agreed-upon times and places. These practices are part of how humans developed as creatures who crave coordination and cooperation, amplified by organic signals like laughter, tears, blushing, eye contact, and blunt speech.<\/p>\n But equally present in our modern society are deviations from these mutually beneficial practices \u2014 posturing, innuendo, overcorrecting out of awkwardness or avoidance, and fear of being an outlier. 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