In Whitehead's view, scientists and philosophers make metaphysical assumptions about how the universe works all the time, but such assumptions are not easily seen precisely because they remain unexamined and unquestioned.
Whiteheads mener at forskere og filosoffer konstant har metafysiske antagelser om hvordan universet fungerer, men sådanne forudsætninger bemærkes ikke, netop fordi de ikke undersøges og kritiseres.