[前科學時代]
人類之所以異於飛禽走獸，表面上看來，
應該是由於人類懂得「工具的運用」use of tools，
但現時生物學家已經知道其實很多生物都懂得運用工具，
只不過人類懂得用簡單的工具再製造比較複雜一點的工具，
但這一點依然不是人類文明進化的關鍵。
Man begins to seek answers to the riddles
which still perplex the most abstruse of
philosophers before he begins to wear clothes
or use metal implements.
( Norman Campbell, 1962 )
自有人類以來，人類就有求知的欲望，
人類對他自己提出的問題喜歡有一個「合理」的解釋。
Man has always required an explanation for all of
those things in the world he did not understand.
If an explanation was not available, he created one.
( Jim Crawford )
原始人類對自然界的種種「暴力」惶恐不安，
於是創造了各式各樣的「解釋」去安定自己的心，
所以前科學時代，是神話的時代！
A paradoxical consequence of man’s predilection
for logical thought was his invention of the
important concept of the supernatural…to provide
an ‘explanation’ for matters he despaired of
understanding. The development of science can be
described as the process of transferring one after
another aspect of human experience from the
supernatural category into the realm of natural law.
( D. Woolridge )
自然界令人類惶恐不安的這種「不安感」insecurity，
加上人類的「好奇心」curiosity，
和克服環境挑戰的「野心」ambition，
一向是促使人類文明向前邁進的三大動力：
Were it not for insecurity, the human race probably
would never have advanced beyond the mentality of
the caveman. Insecurity in some form is behind most
of the progress mankind has made. Curiosity and
ambition are strong driving forces in human nature,
but the tension of insecurity is frequently needed to
prod men into action. If necessity is the mother of
invention, insecurity is surely its father.
( Bulletin of the University of Dayton, 1964 )
在科學還未興起之前，
人類關於宇宙、科學和宗教的諸多問題，是糾結在一起來思考的。
人類是群居的動物，所以一般人都恐懼意識形態和行為與眾不同，
當其中部份優秀的人類開始有足夠的勇氣，擺脫群體的愚昧，
決定將「理性」reason 和「信念」belief 分家，
擺脫傳統的舊思維和宗教霸權的枷鎖，
轉為擁抱懷疑的精神，擁抱理性和獨立的思考、要求證據的時候，
科學才可以誕生。
所以歐洲的文藝復興、宗教改革、啟蒙運動和科學發展，
在人類的歷史上是一浪接一浪地進行的。
結果科學取代了神話的位置，知識取代了無知和迷信，
理性開始歧視愚昧，和它劃清界線！
可以說「擁抱理性」才是「人類文明進化 1.0」。