Folk Wisdom: A grain of truth?

By | October 3, 2010

When I was a kid, people used to warn of all sorts of causes of acne… too much chocolate, too little sleep, too much this, too little that… truth is: most of it was folk wisdom. Wisdom generated by observation (casual at best) passed off as truth, and handed down from one generation to another. If you are looking for the best acne treatment, folk wisdom is not the place to start.

Really. In fact, there are many aspects of wisdom that are handed down from mother to kid, grandparents to grandchildren that try to regulate our lives according to precepts that we are not always aware of.

The only way to know whether there is even a grain of truth in these precepts or folk wisdoms is to look at the issue in depth, consider carefully, then come and make a rational decision…!