Science of stars

Published on 18/12/2012 00:00

Richard Lucas’s letter (17 
December) reminds me of 
the 19th-century philosopher Auguste Comte, who stated that science could never tell us what stars were made of. But nowadays spectroscopy does exactly that.

There are indeed things science can never tell us – the ­simultaneous position and momentum of an electron is one such.

But not one of those that Lucas lists is beyond science’s remit, as a basic understanding of cosmology, neuroscience and evolution would show.

Lucas should learn from Comte’s mistake and steer clear of subjects he clearly knows ­little about.

(Dr) Stephen Moreton

Marina Avenue

Warrington, Cheshire