The Conventional wisdom reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004
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Conventional wisdom

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Conventional wisdom is a term used to describe certain ideas or explanations that are generally accepted as true by the public.

The term is only rarely used positively. Often conventional wisdom is portrayed as being incorrect. Many urban myths, for example are accepted on the basis of being "conventional wisdom". Conventional wisdom is also often seen as an obstacle to introducing new theories, explanations, or revisionism.

See also

Boiling frog