Fortunately, in realms such as everyday perception and theories in the natural sciences, our brains
frequently succeed in producing such systems that approximate how the world really is. For
perception, the reason for this success is evolutionary, in that human perceptual systems and their
forerunners in primates and other predecessors underwent selection for organisms that function well
in their environments. The explanation for scientific success is much more cultural, as powerful
methods such as controlled experimentation, statistical inference, and computer modeling have been
devised only in recent centuries. With such methods, it becomes possible to develop knowledge that
goes well beyond perception without succumbing to supernatural fantasies.