"Science as Salvation" discusses the high spiritual ambitions which tend to gather around the notion of science. Officially, science claims only the modest function of establishing facts. Yet people still hope for something much grander from it--namely, the myths by which to shape and support life in an increasingly confusing age. "Science as Salvation" examines the need for and the use of myth in science and explores the relationship between science and religion. She argues that we need to develop a realistic understanding of scientific imagination and its importance. Taking them seriously as symptoms of a genuine hunger for myth, this book suggests that the proper function of science may need to include wider perspectives, which would make it plain that such desperate, compensatory dramas are unnecessary.

What is the role of scientists in society? What should we think when they talk about more than just science? Midgley discusses the high spiritual ambitions which tend to gather around the notion of science.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 225-235) and index.