Common Quote by Alfred North Whitehead
“Now in creative thought common sense is a bad master. Its sole criterion for judgement is that the new ideas shall look like the old ones. In other words it can only work by suppressing originality.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Process and Reality, 1929
Creative thought is hindered when common sense demands new ideas mimic old ones, stifling originality.
In simple terms: Common sense can suppress originality.
Key Takeaway
Question conventional standards.
Themes
creativity
originality
conformity
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- artistic brainstorming
- scientific research
- entrepreneurial ventures
Key Concepts
process philosophy
innovation
cognitive bias
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we balance intuition with novelty?
- When is tradition valuable?
A Different Perspective
Common sense can sometimes protect against reckless ideas.
![“Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a [Soviet socialistic] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants, lands, banks, means of transportation, etc., remain untouched there, and, therefore, capitalism in Germany and Italy…” quote by Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/411/joseph-stalin-1734_capitalism_neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-natio_1430.jpg)
