It Just Makes Sense

More than once I've heard people distrust academic or government studies because they go against common sense.  Now it's normal to disagree with studies that oppose your beliefs--pretty much everyone does, even people who otherwise put out studies. And there's certainly a long history of questionable conclusions from people in government and academia.  So fine, attack away.  But is common sense enough?

One reason research is useful is that it can objectively investigate what we've too easily assumed.  It can separate true "common sense" from false "common sense." After all, does common sense have such a great track record?  Hasn't it generally been the summing up of the basic wisdom of the times, including the prejudices?  Common sense told us that heavier items fall faster than lighter ones.  That the sun revolves around the Earth.  That men are superior to women. (Well, that's what men's common sense came up with, anyway.) That a change in velocity won't create a change in mass.  That races are essentially different. That a computer could never match the insight of a top chess player.  And so on.

So if you plan to argue against someone's research, let me suggest you do better than claim it goes against common sense.