David Cayley concludes his series with guest Nicholas Maxwell, a philosopher, retired from University College London. He's the author of Is Science Neurotic? and From Knowledge to Wisdom. His theory is that science misunderstands itself, portraying itself an empirical, just-the-facts-m'aam enterprise, when it actually rests on all sorts of presuppositions, both social and metaphysical. If science knew itself better i.e. was more self-aware and self-critical, it might actually become what the Enlightenment hoped it would be: a way to improve the world instead of endangering it.

Read more about Parts 1-24 of How to Think About Science