The secular realist promotes a study of science and the scientific method. He believes that man needs to know the world in order to use it to insure his own survival. This idea of survival is an important one. For example, Herbert Spencer, the nineteenth century British philosopher and social scientist, placed self-preservation as a primary and fundamental aim of education. In other words, the things children most need to know are those things that maintain their existence as an individual, as a member of a family, and as a citizen. The secular realist sees our control over nature as a vast improvement from our early beginnings when we were at the mercy of nature. Our misunderstand of nature, such as the superstitious explanations for typhoons and floods, led to many false beliefs. Today, our continued advancement depends upon even greater understanding and control of nature. we might say that our technical skill has gotten us into the ecological mess, but the secular realist would add it can also get us out of it.