[originaltext] When Thomas Khun was asked by the New York Times a few years

When Thomas Khun was asked by the New York Times a few years ago whether he agreed that science is defined by its scientific method, Khun replied "I don’t believe there is something specifiable as a scientific method that is not pretty much what common sense calls for in most cases." Dr. Joshua Lederberg, the Nobel Laureate who is president of Rockefeller University, continued this train of thought: "Scientists use methods we should recognize in daily life, but that we may not push to the ultimate." Khun concluded: "You’re right. Science is more systematic. But its logical structure is very much the logical structure of common sense."
    But what is considered to be common sense may vary. It is now common sense to think of a cold as the result of a virus; it used to be common sense to think a cold was the result of bad vapors. When people disagree over what is common sense, they usually argue over the meaning of words. For example, some think it is common sense for children to be punished if they disobey. But it is also considered common sense not to physically abuse children. What is common sense in this context depends upon how you define punishment and how you define abuse. Thus thinking about things in a common sense fashion requires making more precise terms to describe the things you are thinking about.