"Below we find a clip from The Cruise, a 1998 documentary by Bennett Miller that follows the now-infamous New York City tour bus guide Timothy "Speed" Levitch on some of his untraditional excursions into the "total cacophony" that is New York. In the clip, Levitch recalls a conversation wherein he denounces the city grid plan, only to be met with the response, "everyone likes the grid plan.""
"In teaching Introduction to Philosophy, I find that conveying the difference between thought and opinion, critical insight and common sense, can be one of the most difficult tasks. While students often prove eager to weigh in on particular debates or passages, it can be challenging to grasp the difference between a well-argued position and an unscrutinized belief, a philosophically grounded argument and an expression of personal agreement or preference."
A New York tour guide's objection to the city grid and the retort "everyone likes the grid plan" exemplify common sense's exclusionary power. That exchange reframes the contrast between opinion and thought, showing how popular consensus can preclude critical reflection. Teaching introductory philosophy struggles to get students to distinguish well-argued positions from unexamined beliefs and personal preferences. When courses neglect the difference between critical insight and commonsense opinion, classroom debate often defaults to objections grounded in worldview, majority experience, religious conviction, or cultural predetermination. Certain philosophical material can serve as a pedagogical tool to foster critical thought and argumentative rigor.
Read at Apaonline
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