ABSTRACT
Science looms large in our daily life. Its products surround us, and much of our political and social policy is-at least nominally-justified by appeals to the work of experts in the processes of science. Few will disagree that we must understand the workings of science, certainly to better understand how to optimize its role in our lives, but also because we still fear the possibility of “Frankenstein” excesses. It is therefore important to ask: Can we “design” science to better meet personal, educational, social, cultural, and political goals? The chapters in this book present a compelling case that the answer is yes. In the present chapter, I argue that, to fully understand the workings of science, we must incorporate a historical perspective into a cognitive account of scientific thinking.
