Can common sense be trusted and accepted, or should it be questioned?

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<p>Would anyone mind scoring my essay for me? I've been doing a couple practice prompts a day and I'd love to see how I'm doing. Thanks so much!</p>

<p>Common sense is the product of society’s norms during a certain time frame, prone to reinventing itself at the change of an opinion. Such “common sense” cannot be the natural basis of all decisions and must be questioned, as it is contingent upon fickle norms. </p>

<p>Millennia ago, the Egyptians believed that thought and reasons were formed inside the heart, not the brain. Thus, during the process of embalmment, they threw away the brain while carefully preserving the heart in an assortment of herbs. It was common sense, they thought, that one’s center of knowledge should rest in the center of the body. We know now that what they believed to be “common sense” was in fact flawed and incorrect, yet at the time, Egypt was the most technologically advanced nation on the planet and its beliefs were thought to be the most correct. By ancient Egypt’s example, we can clearly see that one era’s common sense may become utter nonsense with the passing of time. </p>

<p>Centuries ago, the Chinese believed that their emperor was divine, a son of the heavens who had to be respected and worshipped at all times. It seems ridiculous now, that any mere mortal could be seen as a divinity, yet religious common sense of the 10th century persuaded all citizens that it was noble and necessary to worship their ruler. Their common sense depended on the religious beliefs of their time – beliefs we now perceived to be incorrect and even somewhat silly. Common sense, it seems, does not always confer common sensibility. </p>

<p>Decades ago, Americans believed that it was common sense to spread a certain pesticide in their fields – because who could want bugs preying on potentially profitable wheat, corn, or rice products? The pesticide they used was DDT, and years later, we now know that what Americans of the mid 1900s believed to be beneficial common sense translated into environmental harm and ecosystem destruction.</p>

<p>From the scientific beliefs of ancient Egyptians to the religious and agricultural “common sense” of the Chinese and Americans, it is evident that common sense is quite common but not necessarily sensible.</p>

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<p>I would give this a 10 or 11.</p>

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<p>I think this is great essay with three valid examples. Did it cover all the available space? If not, you could elaborate on the environmental harm caused by DDT to make your point clearer.</p>