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ISBN 978-1-0693132-2-5 
Paperback: 390 Pages
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ISBN 978-1-0693132-1-8 
Livre de poche, 390 Pages
Prix: $34.50 us - $39.95 cdn - 33.30 Euro - $39.50 AUD - 31.87 GBP
Expédié dans les 8 à 14 jours.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
BON SENS
A Realistic Wisdom: Common sense reveals itself as spontaneous judgment, a pragmatic intelligence that relies neither on diplomas nor on specialized knowledge. It is cultivated in reality—through observation, lived experience, missteps as much as successes.
This book shows how:
• Anticipate the consequences of our actions
• Avoid obvious mistakes and social blunders
• Develop social intelligence to interact more effectively
• Decide with clarity and responsibility in a world saturated with information
 
 
What if common sense were the most precious resource of our time?
 
Too often relegated to the status of mere obviousness or cliché, it nonetheless deserves to be rediscovered as a true inner compass, capable of guiding our choices in personal life, at work, in society, and even in politics.
 
This book does not offer ready‑made lessons: it asks unsettling questions, illuminating ones, questions that provoke reflection. Through concrete avenues of solutions, it invites you to deepen your understanding of common sense and to put it into practice in the real situations that shape your daily life.
 
There you will explore:
• Rational and critical thinking
• Sound judgment and your impact on the world
• The subtle art of shooting yourself in the foot
• The art of human interaction
• Power, rationality, and common sense
• Making informed decisions and negotiating with discernment
 
Each chapter is an invitation to test your bearings, to put your common sense to the test, and to discover how this practical intelligence can become a powerful tool for coherence, clarity, and responsibility.
 
This book is an invitation to revisit your bearings, to cultivate practical and social intelligence, and to transform your choices into acts of coherence. More than a manual, it is a traveling companion that helps you rediscover the power of common sense, this silent wisdom that illuminates our lives and connects us to one another.
 
   
 
 
Why read this book?
In a complex world, saturated with procedures and information, common sense emerges as a vital resource. It reminds us that simplicity, clarity, and attentiveness to others are not secondary, but powerful levers for living better together.
 
This book is an invitation to revisit your bearings, to turn your mistakes into lessons, your interactions into revelations, and your decisions into opportunities for growth.
 
Germain Decelles, o.s.j., MBA

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 – Rational thought                                                                   
• Is a human being rational?
• Do emotions influence rationality?
• Does fear hinder our logical decision-making?
• How to manage fear when making decisions?
• How does the concept of rationality vary across cultures and traditions?
• Should political decisions prioritize rational analysis or emotional resonance?
• How do logic and emotions play a role in human relationships?
• What is rational decision-making?
• Does the complexity of real life challenge the rational
decision-making model?
• What are the advantages and limits of rationality?
• How can rational decision-making be improved?
• How does rationality influence leadership and ethics?
 
CHAPTER 2 – Critical Thinking
THOUGHTFUL DECISION-MAKING
• Why is critical thinking so important?
• What is the essential role of critical thinking?
• What are the benefits of critical thinking?
• How can we detect misinformation in our society?
• What are the key skills of people who demonstrate critical thinking?
• How can critical thinking skills, be applied in the workplace?
• Do people still think for themselves?

FOSTERING INDEPENDENT THINKING
• How to develop a well-considered opinion?
• How can we encourage deep and nuanced analysis?
• How can we explore empathy in all its dimensions?
• How do our daily actions influence those around us?

NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
• How can we defuse negative thoughts?
• How can we transform limiting thoughts into drivers of
positive change?

DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING
• How can we learn to think independently?
• How to Develop Independent Thinking?

SHARPENING YOUR INTELLECTUAL DISCERNMENT
• How to sharpen your critical thinking??
• Why is this distinction essential, and how can we apply it?
• How to practically train yourself to discern?
• How can you spot a message that sounds logical but is actually, trying to manipulate you?
• How can we learn to think for ourselves and avoid being swayed by ready-made opinions or overly simplistic ideas?
• How can we emotionally step back to better analyze a situation?

CAUSES OF THE LACK OF CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
 
CHAPTER 3 –  Good judgment
• What defines good judgment?
• How can you recognize someone with good judgment?
• How can you tell if you have good judgment?
• What are the essential aspects to consider when exercising sound judgment?
• How to cultivate good judgment?
• How can you tell if you possess good judgment?
• What is a person who lacks good judgment?
• How to break the habit of judging others?
• How do you judge a person’s character?
CHAPTER 4 – Your impact on the world
• What is a way of life?
• How does adopting common sense as a way of life, influences our choices?
• What are the universal principles of a life well lived?
• What helps shape a clear moral sense for making wise life decisions?
• How can we find a balance between integrity and common sense?
• Are we living in an age of minimal effort?
• How to define an effort truly guided by common sense?
• What are the implications of balancing tolerance and impatience?
• What does « doing things well » truly mean?
• What defines duty, bravery, and patriotism in today’s world?
• Why is respect for the law important for living well together?
• What if you had the power to transform your environment for the better?
• How can the ordinary be transformed into something meaningful?
• Does laughter soften life’s rough edges?
• Does common sense contribute to the world?
CHAPTER 5 – The subtle art of shooting yourself in the foot                                                        
• How to Recognize Silent Self-Sabotage?
• Why Does This Sabotage Happen to You?
• How to stop being your own worst enemy?
• How can self-sabotage hinder your professional growth?
• How can you tell if you're sabotaging yourself in a relationship?
• How to unlock your creativity despite self-sabotage?
• Are you living a chosen life… or a scripted one?
• What Is Groupthink?
• How Groupthink manifests in politics, business, and
social movements?
• How to personally resist Groupthink?
• How to help others break free from Groupthink?
• What is cultural ignorance?
• How does cultural ignorance show up?
• How to spot cultural ignorance in others?
• How to respond or help others grow?
• What is foolish thinking based on?
• What’s a thinking error, and how does it mess with your decisions?
CHAPTER 6 – The art of human interaction                                                 
• What are the different forms of communication?
• What should we understand to grasp the foundations of communication?
• How to make verbal communication more effective?
• Why can silence sometimes speak louder than words?
• What about digital communication?
• How to handle difficult conversations?
• What if communication were a lifelong learning process?
• How to master the art of delivering a message?
• What role does intention play in an influential message?
• How can you clarify your intention before communicating?
• How can you manage your emotions, and those of others, when communicating?
 
CHAPTER 7 – Power, rationality and common sense   

A. The role of power and rationality in society:
B. The role of power and rationality in the political sphere:
C. The role of power and rationality in the family sphere:
D. The role of power and rationality in the workplace:
   
• What are the consequences when power is exercised without restraint or ethical grounding?
• How can power be beneficial when used wisely?
• How to exercise power with discernment?
• Does history help us understand how power and rationality are interconnected?
• Who are the most influential historical thinkers on the subject of power, and what are their main ideas?

 
CHAPTER 8 – To know what one is talking about                                    
SPEAKING WITH FULL AWARENESS
• What does « knowing what one is talking about » really mean?
• Why is it so essential to speak with informed understanding?
• How can one access an enlightened intelligence that prevents speaking thoughtlessly?

SOURCES OF INFORMATION
• How do you evaluate our sources of information?
• Is the information we find online properly verified?
• How can we assess the reliability of information shared by traditional media?

PROFESSIONALISM IN THE MEDIA
• What does professional misconduct in the media look like?
• What are the consequences of professional misconduct in the media?
• How can we guard against media misconduct?
• What is a journalist?
• What is a news commentator?
 
CHAPTER 9 – Decide with full awareness                                     
COMMON SENSE, INTUITION, AND LOGIC
• How can common sense help us make better everyday decisions?
• To what extent can we trust intuition?
• Does logic always lead to sound reasoning?
• How do we sort out what we feel, what we think, and what we sense?

INFORMED DECISION-MAKING
• What are the key principles of informed decision-making?
• Can a decision be intelligent if it never changes?
• How can these principles be applied to everyday decisions?
• What are the common pitfalls to avoid when applying these principles?
 
CHAPTER 10 – The art of negotiation                                                
• What are the key points to never lose sight of?

PERFECTING THE ART OF NEGOTIATION AT WORK
• What are the key points to always keep in mind?

THE ART OF THE DEAL

A GAME OF INFLUENCE
• What are the golden rules of effective negotiation?
• How does Sherlock Holmes meet the art of negotiation?

THE ART OF NEGOTIATING A PRICE
• What is the process for a successful price negotiation?
• What mindsets should you adopt to excel in the art of negotiation?

PITFALLS TO AVOID
• Which pitfalls derail negotiations most often, and how can you sidestep them?
• How to deal with stubborn people in negotiations?
 
CHAPTER 11 – Put your common sense to the test             
YOUR LIFE
1. Do you like change?
2. Are you the type who criticizes at the drop of a hat?
3. What makes you not like someone?
4. Why don’t some people think for themselves?
5. What is a « potato head »?
6. Do you really know what you’re talking about, or are you just parroting what you’ve heard?
7. Are you stubborn, or just plain foolish?
8. Is it logical to say: « Don’t touch my stuff, but go ahead with the neighbor’s »?

EDUCATION
1. Have you raised a child king?
2. Are we doing our children a disservice by treating them like adults?
3. Is modern society providing a solid framework for your child’s education?
4. Have you taken the time to ask yourself what your child is really learning at school?
5. What if we talked about indoctrination in schools?
6. Are our colleges and universities places of knowledge or laboratories of ideology?
7. IQ tests: Mirror of intelligence or mere cerebral thermometer?
8. Is it necessary to educate one’s child to prevent them from falling victim to a national memory wipe?
9. Should one educate their child to be proud of their country?

SOCIETY
1. What is your understanding of society and what it represents?
2. What is the importance of family units in society?
3. How can we tell if our society is unwell?
4. Are we still protecting our core values?
5. The rise of societal vigilance: a common sense reflex or a shift, in responsibility?
6. Why don’t young people jump for joy anymore when they think about the future?
7. What are the limitations of artificial intelligence and its best uses?
8. Why, so much empathy for criminals and so little for victims?
9. Why do some people support illegal immigration… even when it seems like shooting themselves in the foot?
10. Is crowd mentality the favorite tool of modern fanatics?
11. Are you contributing to your country… or just freeloading off it?
12. Why is it always someone else’s fault?
13. Where has intellectual decency gone in our modern society?
14. In our modern society, is it considered acceptable, even normalized, to celebrate the assassination of another human being?
15. Why do we instinctively say, « Oh my God »?

POLITICS
1. Why, do elections have consequences… even in your everyday life?
2. Are you afraid to take a stand?
3. Why do some people make up stories to defend their political views?
4. Do you know the main types of government around the world?
5. What should we think of politicians who abuse their power, whether negatively or positively?
6. Are labor unions trying to defend workers, or to impose their ideas on politicians?
7. Are judges becoming politicians and lawmakers by interpreting the law instead of simply applying it?
8. Marxism and radical Islamism: ideological convergence or opportunistic alliance in Western social struggles?
9. Is there more and more demagoguery in politics today?
10. Can we consider that politicians and the media lose all reason and morality, and even cross the threshold into criminality, when they incite the population to break the law?
11. What should we think of politicians who refuse to end wars for ideological or strategic reasons?
12. Is public safety being sacrificed by some elected officials in the name of an overly lenient approach toward offenders?
CHAPTER 12 – Guided by common sense                   
LIFE LESSONS

GUIDED BY VALUES
• Can the Ten Commandments be interpreted as common sense guidelines for living together?

GUIDELINES FOR MOVING FORWARD IN LIFE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In addition to his writing activity, Germain Decelles plays a role as a strategist and facilitator in change management.

Each year, he offers several seminars and training sessions on change management, transformation, and business innovation. In addition, he is the president of WebTech Management and Publishing Incorporated.

With over 40 years of experience in business and consulting on local and international markets, Germain Decelles has worked in various sectors such as retail, distribution, information and communication technologies, transportation, manufacturing, financial services, and government organizations.

He has received training from prestigious institutions such as the Ford Motors Management Institute, the Chrysler Leasing Institute, the International Forecasting Institute, McGill University, the Kappa Institute, and the Digital Equipment Computer Institute. He holds a master's degree in business administration from Concordia College & University and a certificate in business management and organization from Hautes Études commerciales de Montréal.
 
Germain Decelles, o.s.j., MBA
A retired member of the Canadian Coast Guard (S.A.C.S.M.), Germain Decelles serves as the secretary of the General Assembly and as an international advisor. In 1990, he received the Admiralty Service Award for promoting the service internationally. He is also a member of the Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem.
Germain Decelles and his family reside in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
You can contact him at the following address: gdecelles@webtechmanagement.com
 
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