There are other ways of knowing, including faith, authority, revelation or intuition, but science has been a remarkable engine of discovery about the natural world. Science has extended our lives, made them safer and more comfortable. As with other human endeavors, such as literature, art and philosophy, science allows us to reach parts of the world that were hidden to us. Without it, our lives would be, as the philosopher Thomas Hobbes stated "poor, nasty, brutish, and short." With anti-scientists as our leaders, where will our planet's hope and salvation lie?