Galileo's pioneering use of the telescope showed that the earth is not at the center of the universe and led to his trial and conviction by the Inquisition. This first clash between science and religion still bedevils us today in many ways. Galileo, however, made an even greater contribution to history when, in destroying medieval science and discovering the laws of motion, he established the procedure of modern science. As a direct result of his work, Revelation and Scripture as sources of truth were replaced by Experimentation and Measurement, while Tradition and Authority as interpreters...

Every thoughtful person must ask, "What do I know?" The two most explosive fields, religion and politics, are notably filled with strident and conflicting claims. Close analysis in clear language reveals that no one knows what he or she is talking about. Because of the challenge of unexamined assumptions, of unclear cause-and-effect relationships, and of the rarity of reliable sources, a person who wants to be open-minded cannot avoid adopting skepticism as the least embarrassing philosophy. Some discoveries made in this book: *Reason appears to prove nothing *Intuition is probably a delusion...