The "assimilation" of Aristotle by Albertus Magnus and St. Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century marked, despite all the scholastic distortion it entailed, a new stage in the history of medieval philosophy, elevating it to a higher level of development, and became, contrary to the intentions of its founders, the source of a revival of philosophical thinking. Aristotle, penetrating the University of Paris, proved to be a "Trojan horse" in the philosophical confrontation that developed around him.

Apparently objective and value-free `scientific' assessments of health risks are often highly value-laden and incorporate contentious social assumptions. Mr Wynne exposes some of the complexities underlying attempts to compare the health risks of nuclear and other sources of energy.