James W. McAllister, University of Leiden, Leiden, Netherlands

Abstract: This reflection on the recent work of Nenad Miščević on thought experiment pursues two themes. One is the congruence between the historical development of the practice of thought experiment in science over the centuries and the development of philosophical accounts of thought experiment. The second is the idea that thought experiment provides a point of contact between common-sense and scientific conceptions of particular phenomena.

Keywords: Common sense; mental modelling; science; thought experiment.