Q&A: The Place of Common Sense as Compared to Mathematics and Physics
The Place of Common Sense as Compared to Mathematics and Physics
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Tools like common sense and intuition sometimes clash with mathematics, which at times proceeds in a way opposite to common sense. In physics too, as far as I understand in my limited way, things seem to become less and less intuitive and more and more strange. What does that say about common sense and intuition?
Answer
It means that these are subtle tools, and one must use them carefully. At the end of the day, even physics, which takes us far away from common sense, does so by means of common-sense reasoning. Common sense operates within the framework of constraints, namely the empirical data. Exactly as I wrote regarding Ockham’s razor: simplicity is not, in itself, a criterion for truth. A theory that does not fit the facts, even if it is simple, is not correct. Ockham’s criterion only serves to choose between theories that fit all the facts. Among them, we choose the simpler one. The same applies here.