This book is a series of eight lectures exploring the perceived conflict between religion and science prevalent in the 19th century. Temple argues that the conflict arises from a misunderstanding of the nature of both religion and science. He posits that science deals with the 'how' of things – the laws and mechanisms governing the natural world – while religion addresses the 'why' – questions of purpose, meaning, and morality. He systematically dismantles common arguments for incompatibility, emphasizing that both are valid, but operate within distinct realms of inquiry.