Chapter 1: - Introduction

Summary

This chapter introduces some of the broader ideas and themes of the book, especially the importance of the scientific method as a route to understanding the material universe. It contrasts the scientific perspective with the perspectives in other academic and non-academic disciplines (e.g. the historical, religious, and moral perspectives on human behavior). It gives examples of the value of the scientific perspective, especially the fact that it does not allow for a privileged position, and that it is a relatively democratic form of knowledge. It discusss some historical objections to science, and also reviews some misuse of science, but also the types of topics science cannot address (morality, aesthetics, etc.).