Conventional Wisdom usually refers to the ideas, opinions, or understandings that are considered to be generally accepted by the majority. It is a collection of widely held beliefs on which most people live their lives. For example, According to conventional wisdom, I should go to college to complete a degree so that I can earn a higher salary. The term Conventional Wisdom was first coined by John Kenneth Galbraith, who used it in The Affluent Society (1958) to describe economic ideas that are familiar, predictable, and therefore accepted by the general public. Galbraith's use of the phrase referred to solid, staid, and pervasive ideas; more modern uses of the phrase often connote what's trendy, intellectually fashionable, or hip. But whether new or old, the conventional wisdom is (as Galbraith noted) frequently wrong.
Unconventional Wisdom, on the other hand, is for those who refuse to believe the many modern myths so many accept as the truth. More Unconventional Wisdom...
The enemy of the conventional wisdom is not ideas but the march of events. John Kenneth Galbraith, The Affluent Society (1958).
There are things that "everyone knows." That's conventional wisdom. But so often, conventional wisdom is wrong and enquiring minds know better. As a kid growing up, I'm sure you discovered that lots of things adults believe are not based on any scientific knowledge, but we were forced to believe them. Here are several examples of modern-day incorrect conventional wisdom:
For years the conventional wisdom in Washington said that getting rid of various welfare entitlements would result in our cities turning into new Calcuttas. It was accepted that there was nothing wrong with single motherhood. It was taken for granted that if you put people in huge public-housing complexes they will treat government-owned property with the same respect they'd treat their own.
The beat droned on: The population bomb would force us to eat Soylent Green and live in dresser drawers. Global warming would melt the North Pole. From the racial bias of the SATs to the idea that gun control stops crime while prisons don't, to the always just-around-the corner triumph of the Japanese economic juggernaut, the conventional wisdom has been wrong -- embarrassingly wrong, lose-all-of-your-money-at-the-track-and-wash windshields-in-the-parking-lot wrong.
Jonah Goldberg (1969 - ) American conservative commentator and author.
Fresh Wisdom is about unconventional wisdom, to help you live a more fulfilled, holistic life, unfettered by the chains of conventional wisdom. I've dedicated my life to finding the unscientific beliefs we've been led to accept as the norm, and now pass them onto you in Fresh Wisdom. Come with me on an enlightening journey of unconventional wisdom, starting right here. Let's together make sense of life in this senseless world...
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Fresh Wisdom is Big Picture, holistic material. It acknowledges that all of life is interconnected. It is a radical new, all-encompassing metaphysical look at life and it's a lot more exciting than anything you've heard to date. Conventional Wisdom it certainly is not. Holistic truth it is. Read more...
Fresh Wisdom is like taking both the blue pill and the red pill at the same time. You are still free to believe what you like (that is, accepted as you are) whilst they show you the consolidated realities in the world by having an open mind and how you can change or improve on them. Fresh Wisdom has both inspired and shown me how to walk the steps to freedom and what I need to be aware of during this process.
Peter Fischer, Sydney, Australia
I just wanted to thank you and let you know that I not only enjoyed Fresh Wisdom, but have a new appreciation for the truly important things in life.
Chris Johnstone, Port Charlotte, Florida, USA