THE SIXTH SENSE MYTH 10

With the recent tristful and unfortunate (what were the chances of that stingray fatally striking him in the heart with his barbed tail?) death of 44 year old Australian crocodile hunter and animal naturalist Steve Irwin, I heard several commentators talking about Irwin’s “sixth sense” when dealing with wild and funest animals. Quite apart from the obvious failure of his “sixth” or any other sense of danger in this instance, the concept of a sixth sense is what is called a vulgar error. Not vulgar as in obscene, but in the original Latin (vulgus - - the masses) meaning of the masses of common people as distinguished from informed people.

When speaking of a “sixth sense” the assumption is that there are five other senses – sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. The number of senses is a matter of definition. In fact one can make a case for only one sense or as many as 13 or more. The sense of touch could encompass all of the senses (sound waves impinging on the eardrum or light waves on the retina, etc.) or, in addition to the five already mentioned, there are the senses of balance, orientation, heat, cold, pain, movement, pressure or resistance, as well as hunger and thirst.

This word misuse reminds me of the current seemingly ubiquitous expression, especially by television talk show hosts or anchors, of “You will not believe this next story.” If the assumption is that the audience (more precisely viewer because it includes sight as well as audio (sound)) will not believe what they are about to be told, then what is the purpose of telling them? It is a rhetorical statement completely devoid of originality and steeped in clichéd repetition. More to the point is the question of why these people lemming-like keep making this completely inane statement.

When you next hear someone unthinkingly repeating the cliché of a “sixth sense” you can make a decision whether you want to let them continue in their blissful ignorance or risk offending them by pointing out their error. My predilection is always to educate and risk offense.