Rethinking the relation between science and common sense: a comment on the current state of social representation theory

Abstract

The relationship between common sense and scientific theory as conceptualized by SR theory is discussed. Two aspects of the theory of social representations (SR theory) are reconstructed in order to introduce the discussion: the notions of consensual vs. reified universes, and the concept of the influence of science on common sense. SR theory has undergone a phase of intense development in the last few years. It is shown that in the light of this, the above aspects need to be reexamined. The main part of the article then concentrates on the different aspects of science and scientific representation and tries to show that the boundaries between science and nonscience, i.e. common sense, are more complex than it seems. In particular, science and common sense do not entirely correspond to the reified and consensual universes respectively. Other points discussed include the operation of SR within science (not only between science and the public), functional and structural similarities between scientific theory and common sense, and influence of common sense on the elaboration of scientific theory. To conclude, a certain readaptation of SR theory is necessary, and potential benefits of this are discussed.