The meaning of life from an Age of Reason, purely scientific point of view. The author has little patience for believers of religious, mystic or faith-based belief systems. These ideas are relics of a more primitive time, superstitions that modern man is unable or unwilling to abandon despite the prevalance of science and technology in every other aspect of modern life.

At its best, the book is a concise, easy to read layman's guide to complex scientific concepts. In the later chapters that deal with the philosophical implications of the scientific view, the author draws the rather broad conclusion that all problems - from the political to the personal - are easily solved by embracing the scientific method. That's an ambitious premise for so slim a volume; perhaps Naryshkin can go into more depth in the sequel.

Understanding Why was an easy reading, well thought out book in which the author relates his understanding of the universe and how human thought fits in to the whole thing. I was religious, but after reading this book I no longer can live through a belief system when so much information is out there. Read this and finally come to grips with your own reallity and finally understand why you are here.