In addition to natural curiosity, science is characterized by a number of psychological processes and perceptions. Among the psychological features, scientific enquiry relates to uncovering—or discovering—aspects of a world perceived as hidden from humans. A speculative theoretical model is presented, suggesting the evolution of science reflects psychological repercussions of wearing clothes. Specifically, the natural world is perceived as hidden due to the presence of clothing. Three components of scientific enquiry may arise from clothing: detachment from sensual experience, a perception that the world is veiled in mystery, and an intellectual desire to uncover the hidden structure of nature. Rather than beginning with the emergence of Homo sapiens, the proposed connection with clothing implies that psychological foundations for science began to develop during the last ice age, with the invention of complex clothes that fully covered the human body. After the end of the last ice age, elements of scientific thinking began to emerge in societies where clothing was worn routinely for psychosocial reasons, including modesty. Notably, a scientific attitude was essentially absent in hunter-gatherer communities where nakedness remained the norm. This novel perspective aims to advance the history and philosophy of science, revealing the emergence of science as a situated phenomenon contingent on humans being covered.

除了天生的好奇心之外，科学还具有许多心理过程和感知的特征。在心理学特征中，科学探究涉及揭示或发现人类所隐藏的世界的各个方面。提出了一个推测性的理论模型，表明科学的演变反映了穿着衣服的心理影响。具体来说，由于衣服的存在，自然世界被认为是隐藏的。科学探究的三个组成部分可能源于服装：脱离感官体验、认为世界笼罩在神秘之中，以及揭示自然隐藏结构的智力渴望。所提出的与服装的联系并不是从智人的出现开始的，而是意味着科学的心理学基础在最后一个冰河时代开始发展，随着完全覆盖人体的复杂衣服的发明。上一个冰河时代结束后，科学思维的元素开始在社会中出现，在这些社会中，人们出于社会心理原因（包括谦虚）而经常穿衣服。值得注意的是，在狩猎采集社区中，赤身裸体仍然是常态，科学态度基本上不存在。这种新颖的视角旨在推进科学的历史和哲学，揭示科学作为一种取决于人类被覆盖的情境现象的出现。