What, then, is my answer to the question, ‘Is science Western’? The thinkers I have called ‘relativizers’ are not entirely mistaken. Despite its ancient roots, modern science employs metatheoretical assumptions that have been influenced by the history of early modern Europe. These include a preference for mechanical metaphors, the practice of organized scepticism, and a clear distinction between facts and values. But these assumptions are open to revision in the light of new discoveries. On the operational level of scientific practice – the level at which discoveries are made – the sciences employ refined versions of epistemic practices that all humans share. Taking this fact into account, it seems the ‘universalists’ are correct: science is not merely Western; it is a set of practices without cultural boundaries.