Given contemporary society's short-term and relativist outlook, the fundamental scientific principle that ought to be stressed above all else is the scientific method itself.

There are three reasons why I would argue for this. First, science is a collective communal activity, that takes place over time. The process of observation and evaluation can only be done as part of a community that shares a common outlook. This process is, inherently, a communal activity - a peered activity, informed by sceptical or critical thinking.

Second, science is about the endeavour to construct an accurate representation of the world. Science is not based upon short-term subjectivism, or upon pragmatism. The goal is reliable, consistent and non-arbitrary hypotheses or theories, that can be observed, tested and verified.

Third, science is about experimentation, in order to achieve predictability. To develop an accurate representation of the world requires experimentation and testing. Science requires an active engagement with the world, which transforms both the world and the science required to understand it.

The scientific method has been at the heart of social progress, and has been at the heart of the evolution of man as a social being. The scientific method is a principle that is constantly being brought into question today. To defend the scientific method is to defend the concept of man as a transforming being, as a maker of history.