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From Ben Craven

Graham Coupe invokes common sense as an argument against the use of the concept of infinity in physical theory (1 November, p 32).

There is no principle I know of that says that the universe must behave in a common-sense manner, and if that is so, we should not expect successful theories of the universe to conform to common sense either.

Common sense is a set of generalisations that we make from our everyday experience. This personal experience is restricted to a tiny range of timescales, spatial scales, velocities, and so on. Who are we to say that these generalisations should apply universally?

Surely the success of the highly counter-intuitive quantum theory and relativity shows us that common sense is a very blunt scientific instrument indeed.

Menstrie, Clackmannanshire, UK