The Professor's House Lesson Plan

When Lillian and Scott overhear the Professor's lecture to his students, readers are given insight into St. Peter's views on science, art, civilization, and life. What are these views and what do they reveal about his character?

It is very clear from St. Peter's lecture that he sees science as inferior to art and religion when it comes to the deepest problems of existence. He believes that science is merely a shiny distraction. It keeps people from seeing that the "old riddles" of life are insoluble. They can only be explored and pondered. He believes that art and religion imbue life with mystery and grandiosity. Science and materiality make it drab and ordinary. This...