ABSTRACT

One of the first premises of science is that the external world is knowable in terms of itself. For the scientist, however, reality is somewhat more complicated because we seek to know the world in our terms. We approach experience with both prior knowledge and conventions for interpreting experience. Given this situation, the task before us is to seek an understanding and evaluation of the intellectual tools with which we approach and interpret experience. Science should be viewed as a procedure for learning about the limitations of our prior knowledge and the conventions we use for interpreting experience. It is with this understanding of the scientist’s challenge that a further discussion of the “data” from the early Pleistocene regarding the patterns of life practiced by our ancestors appears to be appropriate.